True Colours
by malachite157
Summary: Things come to a climax in the game of survival as plans, weaknesses and emotions are finally revealed. Last in the Losing Face series.
1. Chapter 1

True Colours

**Part One**

**By: **Sapphire (aka Malachite157)

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." **-Friedrich Nietzsche**

* * *

He stood completely still, head tilted skyward. The rain was coming down less heavily now and the sky was gradually growing brighter. Above him, masses of cloud crawled slowly along in ranks of contrasting grey as they faded into the distance, interrupted now and again by sporadic flickers of lightning and a few deep resounding rumbles. The storm was in its final stages.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of water sliding down his face, washing away the sticky mech fluid. Rivulets of cool, clean droplets dribbled in a hue of chemical silver once they'd passed over his body; some of this tainted liquid found its way into his mouth and he enjoyed its refreshing effect as it went down his throat, still tasting faintly of death.

Slowly he brought up his hands to touch his face. He pressed his fingers hard beneath his optics and pulled down gradually, trails of watery mech fluid dragging in their wake. Trembling as a ragged sigh escaped him, he opened his optics, and his fingers slipped off his chin. He lowered his head and his arms fell loosely at his sides; he was breathing in and out deeply, easing out of a trance. His body felt heavy, but the electricity he'd been feeling earlier had stopped tingling through every inch of his being. He was calm now, even peaceful.

His gaze settled on the ocean. It was not ten meters away, glistening white and silver under the dull skies. On the farthest edges of the horizon he could see a curtain of sunshine glowing warmly. His mind was clear now and as he gazed out at the dawn he knew it was time.

Rampage turned himself to face the ocean directly; the vast expanse was both inviting and daunting. He felt more at home in the water, but there was so much of it here that trying to find anything in its depths without knowing exactly where it was was near-impossible; he, however, had an advantage.

He took a step forward then stopped short, halted by a distant emotion tingling within him. Someone was coming. He sensed no anger, so it could not be any of the Maximals, nor Inferno. This left only two possibilities. He waited.

The emotion increased as the being drew nearer, leaving no doubt in his mind as to who it was. He soon heard footsteps on the firm, wet sand.

"Is it over, now?"

He closed his eyes again and sighed.

"Is… everyone dead?"

"Obviously not," he growled softly. He turned and glowered over his shoulder.

Myst stood several feet away, looking worn and anxious. Her shoulders drooped under his withering gaze.

"Tarantulas is alive, then. You...really are going after him, aren't you?"

"What difference does it make to you?" he sniggered and looked back at the ocean.

"I just want to know what's going on, Rampage."

He did not answer her but rather continued to stare, motionless, at the rippling surface of the water. There was a long pause, though he wasn't sure what he waiting for. He wanted to be in the water, but there was some invisible force holding him back. He was struggling against it when she spoke.

"Have you thought ahead? I mean, when all is said and done and there are no Maximals and Predacons left on this world, what will you do?"

"You presume that will be the final outcome?" he asked without looking at her.

He could feel her confusion. Behind him, Myst frowned and ruminated over his words, but before she could figure anything out, he started forward again.

"Rampage!" she called. Surprisingly, he stopped. He proceeded to turn around fully, giving her a weary, expectant look. There was impatience, but he also exuded a hint of curiosity. Myst realised that this curiosity towards her was what had kept her alive for so long. He'd been intrigued by her and evidently still was. She hesitated, suddenly very afraid of coming out and saying what she'd been meaning to say for far too long, longer than she would like to admit.

"This is going to sound immensely stupid, but...in spite of everything I...I, um, I care about you."

His expression did not change, which spurred her to continue. "I-I don't know when it happened, exactly, but...that's mostly why I came back. I guess I just...wanted you to know that." She blinked once, looking as if she were about to break down but instead she turned around swiftly and headed towards the trees that bordered the beach.

Rampage stared after her, absorbing the high emotion that she was emitting; this was not one he had felt before. No... no, that wasn't true, he realized. He had felt it last night when she had come for him, though it had remained nameless at the time. He hadn't been able to pin it.

Had Myst still been watching him, she might have detected a faint smile creeping into his eyes, though whether it was benevolent or not would have been impossible to tell.

Rampage turned himself around and entered the water, transforming as he did so.

* * *

Although the storm was diminishing now, the air was still quite turbulent, and so his flight to the mountains was a difficult one. When he was within short-distance comm. range, he tried his luck and was successful at making contact.

"Inferno here."

"I'm in range, now. Let me know where exactly you are," Depth Charge requested.

A few moments later, he spotted a red flare coming from a cave. He veered towards it.

Inferno watched as the large Maximal transformed to robot mode and landed at the entrance to his hideout. His red eyes glowed brightly with violent intent as he strode towards him, but Inferno knew the intent was not aimed at himself.

"It is too soon for the weapon to have been completed, by your calculations," Inferno observed. Depth Charge nodded and stopped a few meters away.

"That's true. There's been an...incident."

Inferno subtly moved his hand closer to his flamethrower that was clipped at his side. "Elaborate," he said with a touch of suspicion.

Depth Charge shifted uncomfortably and looked away. He was silent for several seconds. "I left the base during the storm to pursue Myst. She'd abandoned us and I suspected that she was going to tell Rampage what we had planned for him."

"Why?" Inferno asked flatly, unable to comprehend why she would deliberately and pointlessly put her life in danger.

Depth Charge glanced at Inferno. "I don't know. I think she's always been in cahoots with him. Maybe she thought being on his side would ensure her survival. It's beside the point. When I found her, I found Rampage, too. I discovered that she hadn't leaked any information to him and we fought. Myst shot me in the back and I woke up in the Maximal base." He cleared his throat and folded his arms, looking down at the floor. "Rampage had been there, while I was unconscious. He'd killed most of the Maximals, including Rhinox, who was rebuilding the weapon."

Inferno regarded the manta thoughtfully. He could see in him the same despair that he had felt at seeing the Royalty die at the hands of the killer.

"Then it appears we have a problem. How are we to defeat him without the weapon?"

Depth Charge looked at Inferno and the grief was replaced with icy determination. "We can't. We need the weapon, and there's only one bot alive now who can repair it."

Inferno tilted his head in confusion. "Who is that?"

"Tarantulas," the raybot said gruffly. "I think he's still alive. He vanished some time back, before Rampage got free. I don't know where to start looking for him, but I figured you might."

Inferno frowned. "Why me?"

"Because you were closest to Megatron. I'm sure he kept tabs on that spider. Did he ever confide in you as to what he thought he might be up to, or where he could be hiding out?"

Inferno's frown deepened as he mulled over the question posed to him. Depth Charge waited patiently as the frown slowly dissipated. At last, Inferno nodded. "I recall the Royalty mentioning his suspicion over the lost energon cave, some time back. The spiders and Quickstrike were assigned to set up a base there, but they came back reporting it had been destroyed by Maximals. The Queen suspected Tarantulas was covering up for something."

"It's a clue," Depth Charge murmured thoughtfully. "Where exactly was this cave?"

"I could show you," Inferno offered, preferring to keep an eye on the manta ray's actions. He may be in an alliance with him, but that didn't mean he trusted him.

Depth Charge conceded to the ant's suggestion and the two of them left the isolated safety of the cave. As they flew towards their destination, Inferno considered asking Depth Charge how exactly he planned on forcing Tarantulas to make the weapon, and then decided against it when he saw the ray was lost in deep thought. He'd wait until they were closer to their objective.

* * *

Rattrap heard the generators humming as they switched back on, and he closed his eyes with a relieved sigh. He'd finally managed to use an R-chamber and get the main power back online. He remained motionless, listening to the base come alive again with creaks and moans, but the many noises nevertheless rang hollow-- there was virtually no life left in this place.

Gathering his strength, he got to his feet and headed for the control room. Upon entering it, he saw that Optimus had not moved since they'd parted company two megacycles ago. The Maximal leader was still sitting hunched in a corner on the floor, eyes downcast.

"The main power's back," Rattrap said. His voice felt harsh and foreign as it cut the heavy silence.

Optimus did not respond. Rattrap sighed softly and moved to the computers, tuning their settings to display the visuals of the external cameras. The screens filled with scenes from every vantage point from the base. He put the sensors on maximum and the scanners on high-alert.

"He's gone."

Rattrap was a little startled by Optimus's voice; the maximal leader had not spoken in quite some time. His statement came out flat and quiet.

Rattrap turned and looked at him searchingly. Was he referring to Cheetor, or Rhinox? Then it dawned on him. "Depth Charge?"

Optimus nodded faintly. Rattrap bit back a colourful string of curses, saying instead: "Forget him, Optimus. He's a lost cause. He's been one since we came here."

Optimus remained unresponsive. Rattrap hesitated on what to do, his own mind clouded by the aching grief and cold desolation. Somehow, he knew he couldn't give in, that he had to keep going as long as there was something worth fighting for. It was something Optimus had taught him over the course of this war, and he wasn't about to refute that lesson now. The Ark still needed protection from the likes of Rampage and Tarantulas.

"I know it seems hopeless," Rattrap began quietly. "I know dat we've lost a lot. But...you and I are still here, and we have as much a responsibility to each other as we have a responsibility to keep this place safe. It would," he paused before he used the word as a pang of sadness hit him, "dishonour our friends if we gave up now. All their sacrifices would be fer nothin'. So ya gotta pull yerself together, Pop Op. Yah gotta stay strong."

Optimus was motionless, still staring despondently at the ground. Rattrap looked away as he wrestled with his own feelings; it pained him deeply to see his once strong and proud leader so broken. Finally, he turned down the passageway to the exit. He needed to repair those doors properly and get their mechanisms re-connected; after all, if he didn't, no one else would.

* * *

Waspinator watched the dark femme approach the base from his safe vantage-point, nestled in Megatron's old 'throne', observing the camera feed. When he'd spotted movement on the horizon, he'd started forward in fright, but then Myst had transformed to robot mode and he'd relaxed. He was so on edge. He knew she had gone after _him_, slipping out of the base whilst he was asleep. Upon waking only a megacycle ago he'd found himself alone. Since then, he'd been watching and waiting; more than anything he wanted to know what Rampage had planned. If anyone could find out and live, it was Myst.

He turned to the hallway entrance and listened to her approaching footsteps. A few moments later she entered and Waspinator was immediately confused by the look on her face. She appeared shocked and ill.

"Fuzor-femme all right?" he asked tentatively.

Myst stopped her walk to a nearby chair and looked at him bemusedly for a few seconds, then the dazed expression cleared somewhat and she shook her head. "No, no...no I'm fine."

"Fuzor-femme being contradictory."

She glanced up at him again and smiled mirthlessly. "I suppose I am."

"Tell Waszzpinator what's happening!"

The sudden, panicked demand broke whatever cloud her head was in and Myst blinked, startled. "All right, Waspinator, calm down."

"Calm! Wazzpinator been sitting here in terror for megacycles! Want to know what crabbot going to do!"

"I don't know! No one can predict his movements, not really," Myst cried out. She frowned and went over to the chair, slumping into it with a tired groan. She turned her face towards the distraught Predacon. "He's definitely going after Tarantulas, though. I'm quite sure he's going to make him fuse his spark back together. After that is anyone's guess."

"What fuzor-femme's guess?" Waspinator asked a touch bitterly. He was not getting the answers he so desperately desired.

Myst lowered her gaze and a peculiar expression came onto her face. "I really, truly don't know. Although..."

She could see Waspinator sitting up with interest from the corner of her vision. "He did say something which might be of some hope."

"What?" Waspinator pressed.

"I asked him what he was going to do once he'd destroyed all Transformer life on this planet. He then asked me if I thought that was really going to be the final outcome. Maybe you can interpret that better than I."

Waspinator remained sitting, his posture intently alert for several more seconds before he sank back into a slump. "Wazzpinator thinks we're slagged."

Myst let out a short, sardonic laugh and leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the ceiling. "I think everyone who landed on this Primus-forsaken planet was doomed."

There was a long, thoughtful silence between the two. "We have another problem, Waspinator," Myst said eventually. Waspinator buzzed once in response.

"Depth Charge. I'm sure he's concentrating his efforts on Rampage for now, but he was definitely out to get me last night. He knows you too were in an alliance with Rampage. He's a threat to be reckoned with."

"Fuzor-femme really screwed this up," Waspinator muttered irritably. Myst looked across at him and saw the dark, brooding expression on his face. He spun his chair around and pulled up closer to the monitors. Myst continued to gaze at him, then quietly let her head fall into her hands. She just wanted the next few days to hurry up and happen. More than anything she needed a resolution to all this, to know if she had made the right decision.

* * *

Rampage glanced upwards, noting the growing calm of the water's surface and the bold rays of sun. He had travelled away from the lingering storm; he preferred to be in stillness of these lighter waters while he searched for his quarry.

He continued for half a megacycle until he was well away from land. He needed to put distance between himself and everyone else in order to achieve his objective. Finally, he stopped and held still, only swaying a little in the ocean current. He shut off his optics and concentrated on sensing emotion. Though he was always vaguely aware of Depth Charge, he'd managed to block him out for the meantime.

At first he felt nothing but tiny tingles he couldn't quite decipher, but that he knew were from the bots on land. Then, as he fell into a deep trance wherein every inch of his being was seeking out the shadowy impulses of another, he caught the faintest trace of an emotion he knew all too well. His eyes opened.

"So you _are_ beneath the waves, spider."

He turned to his left and stared out into the blue gloom for several moments, before breaking into a steady scuttle over the ocean floor.

* * *

"There it is," Inferno said, pointing towards a cliff face. "That was where the cavern was."

Depth Charge landed a few meters shy of what definitely looked like the site of an explosion. Inferno was already on the ground and investigating the area. "So apparently the Maximals blew this place up?" Depth Charge queried.

Inferno nodded absently. "I never heard anything about that," he muttered as he began walking through rubble.

"If the spider is here, he is behind this wall of rocks," Inferno said, gesturing towards the cascaded rock face.

"I don't want to waste time digging," Depth Charge said as he backed away and loaded his weapon with twin missiles. Inferno caught on and did the same. "On three."

The earth trembled and debris went flying as the wall of the cavern was blown to pieces. The pair waited for the dust to clear with bated breath. A wicked smile lit up in Depth Charge's eyes. "Spot on, Inferno."

Inferno regarded the hole they'd just made. Through it, he could make out the blue glow of energon stalactites and a computer on the far wall.

"Keep your weapons ready. If he's home, he's definitely aware that he has company," Depth Charge said as he strode forward. The two entered the cavern and observed an entire laboratory. There were computers, vials and pipes, electric cables running along the floor and, in the corner, an open manhole. Inferno exchanged a glance with the raybot and then they cautiously approached it. Depth Charge peered down. "There's light at the bottom."

"Let us proceed, then."

Both Maximal and Predacon were amazed at what they discovered. The floor of the enormous underground cavern, beneath the one they'd originally entered, was almost level with the water table. Dotted along the surface of the water were anchored lights that brightened as they walked closer to the single computer station. "What the hell was he doing down here?" Depth Charge murmured as he clicked a button on the console to bring up the most recent application. He frowned at the images that came onto the screen and then gasped. "The Nemesis!"

"The what?" Inferno asked, confused.

Depth Charge did not answer him straight away, being too much in shock. Finally, he turned his head slowly to him as he spoke. "It was a Decepticon warship. The most powerful Decepticon warship. It crash-landed here along with the Ark. Tarantulas has found it."

"Treacherous spider! Where is it located?"

Depth Charge turned to the water. "Under that."

"He must have a submersible," Inferno stated. His optics widened as he spotted something. "And those must be its tracks!"

Depth Charge followed his gaze to a platform far across the cavern that led down into the water via a series of tracks.

"Then they will lead me straight to him," Depth Charge growled as he headed over to them.

"Wait! I cannot swim!" Inferno cried. Depth Charge wheeled around, walking backwards as he talked. "Follow my signal and fly above. This will eventually lead to the ocean. I'll try and bring him to the surface and you can take him to the Ark."

"But what about this mighty warship?" Inferno asked irritably. He did not approve of the Maximal making all the decisions.

"We can only hope it's not functional, yet," the manta said before turning around and diving into the water. Inferno stared at where he'd been, contemplating all that he'd said. Depth Charge had simply set off, without discussing a plan or strategy, or at least not much of one. It was not something the Royalty would have done. But then...

"This is all to avenge you, my Queen," Inferno murmured quietly. He turned away and made his way to the exit. He would do as Depth Charge instructed. There really was nothing else for it.

* * *

Tarantulas watched the doors shut with an overwhelming sense of impending doom. The hiss they made and the short, muffled suction noise was so final that he felt as if he were being sealed in a coffin. He stared at the grey, seamless entrance and exit to his shuttle for several seconds, before forcing himself out of his fearful daze to wheel his chair around to face the screens. The sight ahead of him was the dark, hulking form of the Nemesis's left wing, a shadow in the blue haze of the waters. He pressed the ignition button and directed the submersible along the tracks to where he needed to start working. He'd have to reach a point where the thrusters were visible in the sand and then he'd use the boom (which he'd attached to the vessel when building the tracks) to dig his way to them.

The light faded considerably as he dipped down below the bank and into the shadow of the ship; after a short time he reached his destination and as soon as he was there, he began digging. For a little while he forgot all else as he engrossed himself in the final stage of his project. Finally, the thrusters were exposed. To his great relief, they weren't as damaged as he'd first presumed, meaning he wouldn't have to do much repair work on them.

It was a gruelling process all the same. Two extendable arms with several tools attached were remotely controlled by a series of buttons and touch-sensitive ball pads. He had high-def cameras filming their every move and as such, his optics were focussed entirely on the computer screens as he manoeuvred the arms. Time slipped by but he was largely unaware of it as he concentrated on patching up the worst areas of damage. Gradually, the thrusters were restored to a safe level of operation. Tarantulas finally leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grunt. Mission complete. The significance of this took a few moments to sink in; he was as good as free of Earth. All he had to do was get the Nemesis off the ocean's floor and steer it through the time portal that it had passed through so many years ago.

The submersible bleeped quietly as he put it into reverse...

* * *

Rampage could feel his target more and more strongly as he travelled across the sea floor in an eastern direction. The arachnid was obviously nervous, and with reason; Rampage fully intended on making Tarantulas suffer when he'd attained what he wanted from him.

It was still quite a trek and so, before long, he had drifted off into thought. The past twelve hours had been...interesting.

_Exhilarating, sensational, utterly sickening._

He had not expected that turn of events in the forest. He'd been aware of the Maximals coming for Depth Charge but he hadn't felt like getting into conflict with so many of them. Optimus was a powerful bot and backed up with his troops, probably too much for him to take on. However, something had separated and damaged them. Rampage had guessed lightning, but he hadn't thought overmuch about what had caused their breaking up. The fact was, they were apart and isolated in the forest, aching all over and terrified for their lives--too delicious to resist. Such a long aching while had elapsed since he'd gone on a proper hunt. The rush of fear, the stumbling and struggling as they tried to escape him, the pent up screams of desperation... And he played them, yes, like puppets on strings. He could anticipate their every clumsy move as they tried in vain to flee their oncoming doom. He made sure he was in the corner of their vision, on the edge of their hearing range, stalking, watching as they grew increasingly panicked until they lost all sense of reasoning and ran straight into an obvious trap. The build-up to the kill was almost as good, if not better at times, than the kill itself.

The fuzor was the first to fall. He'd tried sprinting away from him when he'd come up from behind. _Really, hiding in a thicket! Did he truly believe I wouldn't find him there? _Well, he had seen fear change composed, proud bots into trembling wrecks enough times to know logic went out the window. He'd taken special delight in tearing Silverbolt to pieces. That meddling fool had been the main reason he'd lost Transmutate. If he hadn't interfered, she might still be alive today. His howls and screams had seemed to mock him and so his voice box was one of the first things he'd destroyed in him. He usually left it 'til last, but he couldn't stand how _pathetic_ he sounded. For a bot who claimed to be so brave and noble, he certainly came apart when tortured.

Rampage snickered unconsciously as he recalled how the wolf-eagle had looked when one of his beast back legs had been shoved down his throat and his wings were split asunder while still attached to his body. Rampage's only letdown in that murder was that the victim had died too quickly.

His thoughts changed to the rat and he immediately felt irritated. Rattrap had been one of the only bots he'd encountered who knew how to elude a killer. He'd pursued him right up to the Ark, counting on him making the mistake of letting his guard down as he approached it. He'd anticipated correctly; for all of the rodent's cunning at keeping out of reach of the hunter, he had the same amount of arrogance to match. Rattrap honestly believed he'd outsmarted and outrun the larger, more deadly bot. His failure to fully destroy him (he'd somehow lost him in all the frenzy) seemed less disappointing when he realized that the rat would have to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his days, however long they might be. He hadn't really decided, yet.

The Maximals who'd emerged from the base had been an unexpected bonus. He hadn't thought them so stupid as to openly present themselves to attack. They'd put up a decent stand, though, to give them their due. That rhino kept picking himself up, right up until he had no more limbs with which to punch or kick. He'd been so desperate to defend the catbot that he'd crawled over to him and tried to pull him away as the young Maximal was being stripped of his outer-plating. One savage kick through the abdomen had finally finished him off. By that stage the kitten had been screeching in terror and misery; the sounds had grown exceptionally annoying, and mildly alarming. He both loved and hated the screams he provoked from his victims. He achieved a certain, indescribable thrill in hearing them but at the same time felt distressed and anxious, because the screams distantly echoed his own and reminded him of his own pain. Only _nothing _he could do to them would _ever_ match that agony… And this realisation, the depth of his old wound, was what turned all the vague alarm he experienced into contempt and then to hatred. How DARE they insult him--They didn't know what true suffering was! Cheetor had intensified the utter disdain he felt towards what he considered to be lower life. There had been little bitterness in Quickstrike's killing, whereas Cheetor's had been full of anger.

_Poor kitten got the worst of me. _

Blackarachnia's death had been the most unsatisfactory of the lot. She'd seen him coming to finish her and had put herself in stasis lock, which had aggravated him, and so he'd torn her apart rapidly and without much thought.

_But it doesn't matter. Depth Charge won't know that. _

That had been the cherry on top. He knew the ray had been in the base, unconscious, and that it was only a matter of time before he woke up to discover the carnage on his doorstep. Rampage had quivered when he'd sensed the peak of anguish coming from the ex-Guardian, even though he'd been miles away by that stage. How awfully acute his pain had been, how utter his devastation. Depth Charge was his finest piece to date, for he alone had come closest to understanding how terrible living life could be, except in an entirely different way. Emotions were the ray's weak spot and he kept attacking it over and over again. The only real solution to Depth Charge's perpetual predicament was his own death, or to grow so overwhelmed that he stopped feeling altogether beyond a deadened aching lust for destruction. He was confident that, given enough time, he could warp the raybot to this state of being. He had brought him a step closer with Myst. Depth Charge _was_ going to kill her, that he was certain of.

_Yes, old friend. You feel too much at this stage, but you came close to being dominated by just one emotion last night. How long until all other emotions fade away and all that is left is an insatiable rage? How long until taking it out just on me isn't enough? _

Then, they'd be alike. Brothers in spirit, propelled through life with one single desire: to kill.

Rampage stopped abruptly, suddenly feeling a flurry of confusion. Was that _it_? Was that his ultimate goal? To kill and bend another to kill like him? Or did he want more from this existence? What else was there for him to achieve?

There was Myst, he realized. She had admitted something that he had not expected. He could not deny he'd felt some strange comfort in her company in the earlier stages of their relationship. She'd satisfied a deeply embedded and previously unacknowledged desire in him, to escape the total loneliness he felt in his plight… To be with someone who did not abhor or fear him had been so alien, so different that he'd felt inescapably intrigued, almost drawn to explore the feeling. This had confused him greatly, because never before had he felt even vaguely protective over anything other than himself and, for a short time, Transmutate. And yet, when Tarantulas had tried to take Myst away from him he'd been desperate to retain this newfound thing which he felt he had to have, that he somehow needed. But like Transmutate, it had all gone to the Pit and he'd been left once again in bitter disappointment. Only, unlike Transmutate, Myst had returned and offered herself to him again. She'd expressed both verbally and emotionally that she cared for him.

Care. Even the word sounded strange. He couldn't understand it. He had tried, albeit begrudgingly, yet he still couldn't comprehend the notion of caring for someone. Had he cared for Myst? Truly? Had his desire to keep her to himself been out of something more than just a lust for some company?

Before Rampage could ponder those questions, he became distracted by the distinct smell of fear in the area. Tarantulas was close. Very close now, in fact...

He squinted into the gloom and could just make out a massive shadow in the distance. There was something else there, along with his prey. But what on earth could it be?

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**True Colours**

**Part Two**

**By:** Sapphire (aka Malachite157)

**_Writer's Note:_** _Because of their precarious situations, both bases have their scanners and sensors on the highest alert and sensitivity._

* * *

The soft bleeps made by the submersible as it reversed were suddenly lost in a cacophony of sirens. Tarantulas jumped right off his chair, his optics wide as the alarms tuned to his radar alerted him of the fact that there was a unit incoming. He scooted over to the radar screen and gurgled an exclamation. Slag it! How had _he_ found him!

"Sub-reverse on maximum speed!" Tarantulas ordered the computer and then rushed to the porthole on the right. He squinted into the murky waters, but could see nothing.

His position was abruptly disturbed as the submersible jolted; Tarantulas flailed as the entire vessel came to a standstill. He glanced at the radar. Rampage was moving in fast! He hurried over to the main console to find his digging had caused some rocks to roll onto the tracks leading back to the ship. Yelling expletives, he used the backhoe to remove the obstructions. Twenty seconds later the path was clear and the submersible was speeding towards the entrance of the Nemesis. He had switched off the alarms but turned up the volume of the radar beeps. He waited nervously by the submersible's exit, keeping his eyes on the radar screens, watching as the glowing red signature of the incoming Transformer blinked across the grid. He knew it was Rampage even before his internal scanners started blaring warnings. Had it been Depth Charge, the Maximal signature would have popped up with the readings, as he had programmed it. The only bot whose signature would not have appeared until he was in close-range was Rampage, thanks to that accursed signature blocker he'd been forced to give him. He'd not had time to incorporate scanners into the submersible that would detect the crab specifically. Tarantulas's own internal scanners could penetrate the masking anti-signals when he was within a two hundred meter radius. At any moment now, they would be going off.

The shuttle jolted again as it connected with the entrance to the Nemesis. Tarantulas all but slammed the lock button, and the doors slid open. He crossed over onto the platform that would take him up into the bridge just as his internal scanners went wild. "Raise platform!" he screeched. The platform jerked and started rising. Tarantulas stared at the open doors of the submersible which, in his hurry, he had not commanded to shut. They would shut automatically in a few seconds. The urgent bleeps of his scanners increased in rapidity as the creature they warned him against closed in on his position. Seconds before he was raised out of the hold entirely, Tarantulas saw the doors of the submersible close. He sighed in relief.

The warm lights of the bridge greeted him as the platform stopped, level with the rest of the floor. He raced across it and tuned all his monitors to the external cameras. He scanned each visual for movement and was disquieted when he found none. He turned to the Nemesis's radar screen and sure enough, the crab's signature was right on him. Rampage was outside, how could he not see him!

Shaking his head in disbelief, he rushed to the power cells and punched in the code to initiate the power-up needed to get the ship off the ground. One by one they lit up and the Nemesis began to hum with life. He scuttled back over to the computers and typed in the take-off sequence. He'd have to wait a few cycles before there was enough power to activate the thrusters. In that time, he took out his special weapon and stared at the platform. The other portals into the bridge were sealed and the passageways leading to them booby-trapped. The only way in now was the platform which only moved on voice-recognition. The entire ship began to shudder and tremble with strain and Tarantulas trembled with it.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a distant explosion. For a second Tarantulas thought a generator might have blown, but the next announcement dispelled that theory. "Warning: Breach in Hold."

"Location of breach!" he shouted.

"Submersible Connection Point."

"Slag it slag it slag it!"

It was the weak part of the plan, the one vulnerable area where if Rampage attacked at that precise moment, he'd be exposed. The crab's timing was impeccable, and for Tarantulas, terrible.

Still, this game was not lost yet. There were plenty of autoguns in the hold and the platform would not activate unless he personally ordered it to do so. It was made up of three-meter thick titanium so there was no way Rampage, even with his powerful missiles, could break through.

"This ship was designed to withstand Autobot fire. You are NOT getting through!" Tarantulas hissed. He checked the power cells and found there still wasn't enough for take-off.

Muffled noises of gunfire came from below and Tarantulas stiffened. The autoguns were firing. They continued in erratic blasts and explosions for several cycles. Gradually, the noises petered out and there was silence. Tarantulas remained motionless, listening intently for a while after, and then he quietly made his way across the bridge to the computers. If Rampage had retreated, he would see him on the cameras. He stared at the screen that viewed the submersible, and saw that its left side was destroyed. _By Unicron_, he had been close behind! He must have entered the submersible seconds after the hold doors closed. Tarantulas hadn't counted on him breaking through both the sub's doors and the doors into the hold, which by now must be flooded with...

Tarantulas went cold.

The autoguns couldn't work underwater.

He switched to the camera in the hold. The sight it filmed confirmed his fears. Water was gushing in through a hole in the doors and had already filled the hold with at least six feet of liquid, but it had not yet risen high enough to affect the autoguns. Tarantulas panned the view and saw that the dozen heavy-duty autoguns were all smoking and sparking. The evidence of a break-in was there, but there was no sign of the vandal.

_I've got to get this ship off the ground before it gets too weighed-down with water!_

The power was still charging and there currently wasn't enough of it to attempt lift-off. He knew he was expecting a lot from this ancient, crashed Decepticon warship, but nevertheless he felt as though it was taking an _agonizingly _long time.

There was absolutely nothing he could do to speed up the process, leaving him to a frustrating, anxious wait.

A missile came from below the camera and struck the top of the hole, widening it and allowing more water to come rushing in.

"Warning! Breach in Hold. Warning! Breach in---"

"I know I know!" Tarantulas screamed and watched in dismay as the water level began to rise. The ship was going to be held down by the weight of the water if that hole got any bigger.

It was do or die. Tarantulas would have to go down there and put a stop to Rampage's sabotage, or he'd be trapped in a permanently sunken ship. He prepped his weapon and headed for the platform.

Rampage glanced up at the camera that he knew was filming the damage he'd just caused. He was directly beneath it and so out of view and that was how he wanted to stay. Tarantulas could not ignore him. It was obvious that the spider planned on reviving this ship, but he wasn't going to achieve that with a few tonnes of water in its hold.

But the only way for the spider to prevent any further damage was to come down here and deal with the problem directly. Rampage knew that it was only a matter of time before he accepted that.

_'Come out, come out...'_

He had to be prepared, though. That arachnid was a tricky one, and could very well have something up his proverbial sleeve. He'd have to keep hidden until he'd properly assessed the sort of threat that Tarantulas posed, if any.

* * *

"We can't just sit here."

Waspinator's whole body tensed at the sound of Myst's voice and he spun his chair around and glared at her. She was still sitting in the same seat she'd slumped into half a megacycle ago.

"We can't just bide our time while everything unravels around us."

"And why not? What elzze is there to do?" Waspinator questioned irritably.

"Make preparations, back-up plans. Rotting in here for the rest of our days isn't something I want to do."

"Here we have CR tanks, energon feeders, sleeping quarters! What else fuzor-femme want?"

"Yes, we have those things, but Rampage needs them, too. There's a fairly strong possibility he won't care to share these facilities with us."

"So we flee base and rot in wilderness instead?" Waspinator asked exasperatedly.

"No, I suggested we made up _back-up plans_, Waspinator. You don't have to jump to conclusions. All I'm saying is---"

A rapid beeping noise cut her off. Waspinator nearly lurched onto the computer, he spun around so fast. "CRABBOT!" he yelled in fright. Then, "No...not crabbot... What this reading?"

Myst walked over to the monitor Waspinator was scrutinizing. A reading of some distant disturbance on the planet was displayed. "Computer, report!" Waspinator barked like he'd seen Megatron do so often in the past.

"Energy anomaly detected in grid Zelo Five. Signature unknown."

"Signature? The anomaly has a signature?" Myst murmured aloud.

Waspinator tapped a few keys to try and glean some more information from the vague report. "It a major disturbance, " he buzzed. He paused as he read where grid Zelo Five was. "It under water."

Myst's posture slumped at the words and her optics widened. "Primus..."

Waspinator turned to her rapidly. "What?"

Myst stared at the co-ordinates of the grid. It wasn't too far from where she'd seen Rampage entering the ocean.

"It's... I...I've gotta go," she breathed and turned around quickly.

"Whaaaat? Fuzor femme can't just leave Waspinator like thizz!" he yelled after her.

Myst didn't pause to answer him. She ran straight out of the control room and the next thing Waspinator knew she was in the sky speeding away from the base. He stared slack-jawed at her disappearing form on one of the monitors. Gradually, a frown formed on his face.

"Waspinator sick of flimsy alliances! Taking matters into own hands now! Screw stupid femmebot!"

He slammed his fist down on the button which closed the camera feed and then he slumped in his chair with a groan. He sat there thinking for a long time afterwards whilst Myst, a thousand thoughts and fears running through her mind, flew towards the co-ordinates of the unknown disturbance.

* * *

The platform hummed quietly as he descended into the hold. Tarantulas knelt, gun perched on his left knee, eyes scanning the area for his foe.

The floor was flooded with roughly ten feet of water. Crates and metal rubbish were afloat along with other flotsam, and the lights were flickering in places where the water had reached. The darkest areas, where there were no lights at all, worried him greatly. He stopped the platform's lowering when there was a gap suitable for his size, one that Rampage would have difficulty squeezing through in order to pursue him if he had to beat a hasty retreat.

"All right, Rampage. You have made your point. You have successfully attained my attention. Now show yourself!"

He waited, all sensors on high alert, but Rampage did not reveal his position. He hadn't really expected him to. "If you're going to play that way, then hear this. You and I both want to get off this planet. I don't think you want to remain here rusting for the next few million years with nothing to chew on but dumb animals. What I have discovered and repaired is a means of transport off this dirt ball. So... I was hoping we could come to some sort of arrangement that would...satisfy us both."

There was no sound other than the hollow creaks and moans the ship made as the water flowed in. Tarantulas glanced at the hole worriedly. "If this place fills up with any more water then there'll be no escaping it at all!" he cried in a culmination of fear and desperation. His cry echoed in the metal belly of the ship. A distant noise of bubbles breaking the surface caught his attention. He narrowed his optics and aimed his weapon at the ripples only fifteen meters away. All the while his spark was shuddering and he could feel a scream prickling at the back of his throat.

Deep, quiet laughter rose up around him, reverberating off the walls and confusing him as to where it came from. The laughs were dark and menacing; Tarantulas couldn't help but quiver at the sound of them.

"An arrangement, you say? Hmm, yes, I came with one in mind."

Tarantulas turned sharply to his right to where he thought the voice had come from. All he could see lurking in the dark was a large, light-weight metal box bobbing on the water.

Tarantulas tensed at Rampage's tone. There was not even a touch of benevolence in it. He edged back a little and aimed his gun in the direction of the voice.

"Reveal yourself now and we can discuss terms."

The second he'd finished his sentence, there was a high-pitched explosion and the weapon on his knee was blasted straight off him. The impact sent him sprawling to the side. He hadn't even properly registered the pain of such a direct hit when he felt something snag one of his legs dangling off the side. The next thing Tarantulas knew, he was being yanked roughly off the platform and pulled down into the water. He flailed and kicked, claws and feet connecting with metal. He was thrust to the surface again and pinned by his upper arms, slammed against the cold steel wall; it was then that he was finally granted a view of his enemy. Rampage glared at him, clearly demented. Tarantulas gurgled in terror and opened fire with his multiple shoulder guns. The blasts hit and bounced off Rampage's face, which crumpled up into an ugly expression of anger as he pulled back his left arm and thrust it forward, directly into Tarantulas's gut. The Predacon scientist gasped and retched and ceased fire.

"The only terms will be my terms," the crabbot snarled. He smashed his fist into the left side of Tarantulas's shoulders, ruining the gun mechanisms embedded in them. He quickly did the same with the right set. Tarantulas wheezed and croaked in pain.

A smile lit up in Rampage's eyes and he increased his vice-like grip on Tarantulas's upper arms. "Oh, you don't want to keep struggling, spider. It will only cause you more pain and I... I delight in it."

Tarantulas's weak kicking tapered off and he stared in mute horror at the bot before him.

"That's better," he whispered. His left hand let go of his arm and slipped down into the water. Tarantulas felt it resting on his abdomen and his body bristled in objection to the gentle touch. Rampage's gaze took on a sadistic shine, and the next words he spoke turned the air frigid. "Now, you'd do well to hold still..."

* * *

Depth Charge blinked in the light as he exited the underground river and met the ocean. The dark storm clouds had thinned to a scattered light grey covering over the sky, allowing daylight to penetrate the waters. The tracks he'd been following continued across the seabed into the blue gloom. They seemed to go on forever, but Depth Charge knew he was only a few dozen miles away from his target. He was uneasy about what he might discover there. Who knew how long Tarantulas had been working on the warship?

As he made his way to his destination, his thoughts wandered to what he'd do in the worst case scenario. If Tarantulas had completely repaired that ship, then he'd be unstoppable. There was no way he would be able to take out such an enormous war machine once it was fully functional. His best chance was breaking into it while it was still underwater and taking out the pilot. Suddenly, getting hold of Tarantulas seemed like a life or death decision. If he didn't stop him now, he'd not only never destroy Rampage, but quite possibly he'd never have existed, nor any of the Maximals. Tarantulas had tried to blow up the Ark before, although no one knew why. Depth Charge just considered the spider completely insane; there didn't need to be a reason. Whatever the case, he was an enormous threat to the lives of all modern day Transformers and he had to be prevented from getting that ship airborne.

He opened up a comm. channel to his aerial ally.

"Depth Charge to Inferno. Did you get my last transmitted co-ordinates?"

"Affirmative. I'm catching up to you as we speak."

"Right." He paused for several seconds, while still keeping the connection open. "Inferno..."

"Yes?"

"It is imperative that we survive this mission, at least until Tarantulas is properly apprehended. If we don't...we..."

The silence on the other end of the line reminded Depth Charge that he had not explained to Inferno quite what the Nemesis was, and why it was such a bad omen to them now. He wondered, if he told him, would it motivate him even more to succeed in this mission? Probably not, he admitted. Avenging Megatron was enough. But still, even though he cared little for the Predacon, he had recently felt a kind of brotherhood with him. They were both united in destroying Rampage after suffering great losses on his account. For years Depth Charge had shouldered this task alone, but now he finally had someone on his side who was just as determined to see the murderer brought to justice. Then, perhaps, he deserved to know what was going on. He deserved to be made aware of all the facts.

"If Tarantulas gets that ship off the ground, it is highly possible he will use it to destroy the Ark. If he does that, not only will the forefathers of the Maximals be destroyed, but the Predacons as well. He will completely annihilate our race's entire existence. That includes you, and I, and Megatron and everyone else here and on Cybertron. So, quite simply---"

"We have no choice but to destroy the traitor," Inferno finished in a level tone of voice. There was no fear in it, only sturdy determination. Depth Charge felt a brief moment of respect for the antbot. He had unshakeable faith in his cause, which was something he related to.

"Yes. So be prepared for anything. We might have to go to extremes to stop him." He cut the connection after that, a grim expression on his face. He had no problem with going to his limits to destroy an enemy, but the extremes he spoke of were far more unsettling than any physical agony on his part. He might have to kill Tarantulas to stop him, which meant there'd be no one to finish the weapon. It would be a small sacrifice when saving the entire existence of his race, but to him personally, it would be great. He could only hope that it wouldn't come to that.

* * *

Rattrap for once wasn't vocal about his irritation in repairing the doors. They needed to be fixed, he knew this, but he was seething inside at having to do it alone. Depth Charge _should be here_. He should be helping! There were only three of them left - they could not afford to be apart like this. If Rampage chose to attack now, and with Optimus in his present state, they'd be destroyed and the Ark would probably follow suit. Why couldn't that demented manta get it into his processor that they needed him now, more than the deceased on Omicron did? He only sighed at these upsetting thoughts, because he knew no one would listen to him rant.

Several megacycles later, the doors were repaired enough that they moved slowly on their make-shift hinges and no longer sported gaping holes. They of course would not hold if Rampage was serious about breaking in, but at least they weren't an open invitation anymore.

He packed his tools away and headed back to the control room. When he entered, he saw that Optimus was still in the corner, but his optics were shut off and his chest was rising and falling slowly.

"Optimus...you asleep?"

He received no response and so he assumed the Maximal had finally succumbed to exhaustion. He was relieved. Perhaps after a good rest he'd be able to think straight again. Rattrap could use the company. He was beginning to tire of being the leader in this situation.

_"Not much of a leader, though. It's not like Fins will evah listen ta me."_

At the thought of Depth Charge, his bitterness returned. He put down his toolbox and seated himself at the computers. He called up the scanner's and sensor's reports, intending only to give them a brief check over before he attempted to locate the raybot, but there was a reading that caught his attention. His optics narrowed into a frown as he read over an earlier disturbance in an ocean grid that, according to the sensors, bore an energy signature. What could possibly have emitted an energy signature from all the way out there? The time read that it had taken place only twenty cycles ago...

Rattrap pondered over this for several moments when a thought struck him. He froze, breath catching in his throat, fingers stiff over the keys of the control panel.

"Rampage," he uttered.

"...What about him?"

Rattrap jerked at the voice and spun his chair around to see a weary-faced Optimus looking up at him with concern. He felt a fleeting moment of relief at seeing him fully conscious again, but worry quickly took precedence.

"Uh...there's been an energy-shake up in grid Zelo Five. It has an unknown energy signature... Da only thing I can think of dat's capable of emitting such a significant energy reading WITH a sig that's confusin' our scanners, would be---"

"Rampage. You're wondering how he could have caused such a disturbance," Optimus said quietly.

Rattrap nodded, gaze fixed on his demoralized leader. "Depth Charge is out there somewhere, Optimus. He mighta...I mean it's just a thought..."

Optimus covered his face with one hand and sighed, nodding slightly. A long silence followed.

"D'ya want me ta go check it out?"

Optimus removed his hand and looked at him blearily. "How? You can't get to that grid. It's over water. I'll have to fly there."

"An' leave this place exposed? I'm no good as a sentry, Pop Op. If anyone attacks---"

"Then tell me what you want me to do! Do we sit here and wait to see what happens, or do I go out and investigate what could be a major turning point in this war?" Optimus shouted suddenly, taking Rattrap completely by surprise. He blinked and stared at the agitated Maximal still sitting on the floor. He was asking _him_ what to do.

The problem was, he had no idea.

He shook himself out of his bewildered daze and said: "Wha---wait just a cycle. I gotta...I gotta think this one through..."

* * *

Oh...the _agony_...

As soon as he started to come to, he was swamped with it. The pain in his midsection was so intense it swamped him with sensations of illness; it felt as if his insides had been ripped out from him and replaced with hot ash. And it not only burned like the Pit, it _ached_. It ached so...much...

He inhaled suddenly and violently. He clawed forward in blindness, reaching out for some relief from the excruciating pain, only to be beaten back down by an unkind hand. He saw a flash of red as his head hit the cold metal of... Where was he?

Gradually, the blackness cleared and his vision returned to him. He found himself to be staring up at some high ceiling lights that he did not recognise at first. Then, he realized they were the lights of the Nemesis control room.

"Welcome back to reality."

The voice made his body prickle in revulsion. He tried to sit up, but his stomach seemed to knot in direct relation to the action, and the pain increased tenfold. He immediately lay back down, breathless from the spasm.

"I think you'll find standing difficult, for the moment. Your systems are in a rather shocking state."

Tarantulas cringed as a wave of energy passed through him. "Wha-hhh...what have you...done to me?"

The voice of his enemy came from behind him now. "Surely you can figure it out, genius. Where does it hurt? What symptoms of damage are you experiencing?"

Tarantulas closed his eyes as another, more intense shockwave rippled through his body. He felt as if he were about to faint, but every instinct in him was clinging to consciousness. He had to escape the danger...the terrible danger!

"No? I'll have to tell you, then."

He was aware of a looming presence as the light changed. He re-opened his optics a little, but they widened at the sight of the silhouette hovering over him. Rampage's bright green eyes glowed like embers against his dark form. He watched him curiously, malevolently.

"I performed a little operation on you, Tarantulas. One that I learnt from you." He simpered derisively. It was then that the meaning of crab's reference dawned on the spider. Tarantulas groaned in horror.

"Yes!" Rampage laughed the word. "You're not much good without your power converter, are you? But you will survive for a few days, slowly destroying yourself from the inside out. It's a fate you left Myst to."

Rampage moved away from him and the light shone back in his optics. Tarantulas squinted at them, trying to figure out why they were out of place. He was in so much pain that concentrating proved immensely difficult.

"You're probably wondering how I managed to get you in here, considering you left such an ungenerous gap between the platform and this floor. Well, it wasn't easy, I'll admit. I really had to squeeze. Took off the top layer of my metal, clipped a few of my crab legs and grazed me painfully. It took all of three cycles to heal myself."

Tarantulas began to squirm. The enemy had successfully broken into his stronghold, and he was building up to something horrible. Rampage was chatting merrily for the moment, but when he reached the point, it would probably spell out the spider's doom. More than ever now, he wanted to get away. But he _couldn't move_!

"I of course did this only after sealing up that hole I made earlier. I had to completely wreck your submersible to do so but at least now it's patched up. It keeps unwanted visitors out, and you in. You see, as you correctly assumed, I'm quite partial to the idea of having a ride off this planet, when I want one. But for now..."

Tarantulas felt hands gripping his crumpled shoulder pads and he let slip a little cry. Rampage's demonic face appeared above him, upside down. "For now, I have other plans. Plans that you are going to help me with."

"C-can't...dah...do anything...in this ssstate!" Tarantulas spluttered.

Rampage's expression did not change and Tarantulas found it unsettling how he continued to look down at him motionlessly.

"No," he said at length. "But you won't be in this state for much longer. I'm going to repair you enough so that you're able to move, albeit painfully, for a megacycle or two before the deterioration becomes too advanced for you to function properly. In that time you will do as I instruct."

Tarantulas felt another burning inside him. This time it was anger. "Why would I do that?" he managed to say levelly.

Rampage's grip on his shoulders increased and he said: "Because I have hidden your power converter. If you don't help me, I won't tell you where it is, and you will die a slow and horrible death. It's as simple as that."

Tarantulas glared at Rampage for a few seconds but another shockwave made him arch up and cry out.

"This pain, as you well know, will only intensify. And with my...special ability, I can prolong it for days and days, healing you just enough so that you feel it at your most conscious, and go through the agonizing process of deterioration over and over again. With the Maximals and Predacons depleted to a scant few, I'm left to my own devices in this, you must agree, _secluded_ location. I have all the time in the world to torture you, Tarantulas. Remember that."

Tarantulas eased back down, panting rapidly, claws curled into fists. Rampage watched him patiently as he writhed. Finally, it became too much for Tarantulas to take and he gave in.

Rampage drew up to his full height and the smile in his eyes vanished at the spider's shout of agreement.

"I knew you'd find it unbearable. At least you had the choice of a reprieve," he said with vague bitterness. He walked around him and came up along his right side. He gazed at his midsection soberly and held his hands over the ravaged area. "I'm going to repair you now. When I am finished, you will remain where you are until I instruct you to move. I want it known now that when you do for me what I ask, I will be fully conscious at all times. Is that clear?"

Tarantulas, too overcome with the pain to think rationally of what Rampage was implying, nodded fervently.

The next thing he felt were Rampage's cool hands slipping into the fire in his abdomen.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**True Colours**

**Part Three**

**By:** Sapphire (aka Malachite157)

_You don't know what your power has done to me  
I want to know if I'll heal inside  
I can't go on with a holocaust about to happen  
Seeing you laughing, another time  
- **Stricken,** Disturbed_

* * *

Depth Charge had been lost in thought when his internal computer sounded an alert. "Warning: Protoform X located in grid Zelo Five."

He nearly stopped short at that announcement. He continued swimming at a slower pace, mind reeling at this new development. His comm. was the next thing to sound. "Inferno to Depth Charge. You have slowed down. Have you seen something?"

Depth Charge took a moment to respond. "No... No I haven't seen anything yet. But we're getting close now. Be on your guard."

"Understood."

He tried to steady his racing spark as they neared their destination. If Rampage was with Tarantulas then there could be a number of problems. If they were working together then his chances of success in this mission were depleted to virtually nil. It could, however, work out that Rampage was currently trying to break into the Nemesis to get to the spider. While the latter situation was preferable, either way his task had just become considerably more difficult.

He realized then that he could use some help, only there was no bot capable of offering any. Being the only aquabot apart from Rampage had its disadvantages. His thoughts were interrupted when a huge shadow appeared ahead of him. As he approached it he was filled with awe at the sheer size of the ship. He felt completely dwarfed by it and the task ahead of him seemed to grow as more and more of the Nemesis came into view.

_How am I supposed to penetrate that!_

He swept left and swam in a wide arch around it, being careful not to get too close in case the spider had activated some external autoguns. He scanned an area that looked as if it had been excavated, at the base of the ship; it was then that he spied a separate line of tracks leading back around to the rear.

_'So he's entering through the hold. It's the first point of entry to investigate, I guess,' _he thought gravely.

He lowered himself until his manta belly was almost skimming the ocean floor in an effort to avoid any sensors that might trigger weapons. There were collections of raw energon stalagmites dotting the landscape that he weaved around, ignoring them at first… but then the idea that he could use them as a very effective weapon against his archenemy came to him. He'd take some with him if and when he broke into the ship.

The tracks ended with a pile of wreckage. Outside the hold entrance were the mangled remains of what looked to have been a submersible. He frowned in confusion. Why had Tarantulas destroyed his means of underwater transport? It was then his gaze rested on the hold entrance itself and he saw that it had been damaged. Pieces of the submersible's metal were messily beaten together and patched over what must have been a considerably large hole. Depth Charge felt as if the water around him had dropped several degrees in temperature. This was not Tarantulas's doing. Rampage had broken in and sealed his entry. This meant that Tarantulas had not willingly allowed him in.

"And it also means you're not willing to let me in, either," Depth Charge growled. He regarded the patched up hole thoughtfully. Rampage had destroyed the submersible easily enough, meaning its metal could not have been that strong. It should then be easy to break through the make-shift door. Knowing that he had no time to waste, Depth Charge set about doing exactly that.

* * *

The Darkside was quite far away from the ocean, so it was taking Myst a while to reach the coast. She flew as fast as she could, beating her bataleur wings against the still fairly strong winds. Her wing mechanisms were straining and the air was static with energon residue, which caused her body to twitch with small shocks once in a while, but she was largely unaware of these things. Her mind was preoccupied with what she feared was happening, or perhaps already had happened, in grid Zelo Five.

Depth Charge was extremely determined to destroy Rampage and by the way he'd been interrogating her last night, he obviously thought she had been passing on important information to Rampage that jeopardized his plans for him. This meant that he had something serious in the works that would no doubt lead to Rampage's capture, or termination, or both. Not knowing of any other thing that could cause such an underwater disturbance, with a signature no less, she immediately assumed something had occurred between the two - something big. It could have been a colossal coming together of the two foes which had caused the energy anomaly. Only, that still didn't make much sense because they'd have needed to involve something highly explosive to create such a reading. The only thing she could think of that was capable of emitting such a force would be an energon explosion.

Whatever the case, the mere possibility that Rampage might have been badly damaged or killed disturbed her greatly and spurred her into action. She hadn't put much thought into why it disturbed her so much, because she didn't want to admit what she already knew. She cared about Rampage, yes, but it went deeper than that, and that was what terrified her. Whether it had been wise to admit the surface of her feelings towards him was yet to be seen...or not, depending on what had happened to him.

The uncertainty propelled her forward and the sight of the coastline inspired her to pick up speed.

* * *

"Okay, okay..." Rattrap murmured after a long, tense pause. Optimus's scrutinizing stare was beginning to get to him. "I tell ya what, I'm gonna try and contact Fish Face an' see if he's, y'know...receptive." He turned to the computer and tried to radio the mantabot. His first attempt proved unfruitful, the second he actually got a reception, only Depth Charge had either blocked or ignored the message. It wouldn't be the first time the ray had chosen not to respond to an urgent comm. call.

"Fins, I swear, if you're gettin' this message an' you're ignorin' it, there are gonna be some serious repercussions! We're losin' our minds back here, you have GOT to radio in and let us know what's going on and where you are... Depth Charge, there was a big energy reading out in da big blue...Depth Charge, just answer!"

Exasperated, he cut the connection. "He either has a damaged comm., is too busy ta respond or is choosing not to," Rattrap stated irritably, without facing Optimus's burning eyes.

Not receiving any advice on what to do next, Rattrap thought of something else to try. "It's a long shot, but I'm gonna try da Pred base. It's possible Waspy's hidin' in there. He might know somethin'."

Rattrap opened a channel to the Darkside. "Rattrap ta Pred Central. Is anyone there?" There was no reply. Determined, Rattrap continued: "Look, if someone's there, he'd bettah respond because, ya know, we're in da same boat here. We've got a mutual enemy that we gotta be keepin' wary of. So if anyone's alive in that cess pit, lemme know!"

Silence was his reply, but Rattrap had a strong suspicion someone was listening to him. "Look, at least tell us if you picked up da same funny readings coming from grid Ze---"

"Lo five? Yezz."

Rattrap blinked in surprise, then grinned. "Waspinator, good to, uh, hear ya..." he replied, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.

"What ratbot want to discuss?" the Predacon asked flatly.

Rattrap considered the situation. Waspinator's interest had obviously perked when he'd mentioned the grid readings, meaning he too was curious as to what was going on there. The waspbot might therefore be convinced into flying over there to check it out...although he'd have to do some serious persuading.

"Those readings. They were in da water. Now, ya probably also noticed a signature in them, one that is unrecognised by our scanners. In fact, da only reason we probably registered it at all is because it was amplified by da wave front. But it's still a sig and dat means dat someone was there when the explosion or, whatever it was, happened."

"Yeeezz," Waspinator drawled impatiently.

"Well Depth Charge has gone missin' and Rampage has a blocked signature. Both of them are water bots out for each other's mech fluid, so I'm thinkin' dat..."

"Ohhh..."

"Yeah? Ya think the same? That the two of them had one enormous fight out there? Cuz if they did, well, one o' them obviously exploded and da only guy I know who could make _such_ a bang is Rampage. But we can't be sure, so we need to investigate it."

"Wazzpinator now knows why fuzor-femme left in such hurry."

"Myst? She's flying over there?"

"Waspinator thinkz so. Fuzor-femme crazy."

"Ya don't gotta tell me that... Hey, are ya able to radio her?"

"Waspinator not sure. She has signature blocker but doez that block comm. signals too?"

"Nah, I'd know, I made da one she's wearin'. Listen, one of us has ta check if the coast is clear, or we're gonna sit in our bases shivering in fear fer the rest of our days. Seeing as Myst's already volunteered herself ta do that, if ya could check up with her and find out what she knows..."

"Why Waspinator? Why not ratbot and Optimus? Optimus can fly!"

"Um, no...no he can't at the moment."

"Wha--?"

"He's...damaged," he said lowly, flitting a glance over his shoulder at his fellow Maximal. "It's beside the issue. If Myst is out there already, we should find out from her what's goin' on. You know her best, she'll listen ta you."

"Hmph. Then why should Waspinator pass on information to nasty Maximals? Done Waspinator no favours in past!"

"I REALLY think that's water unda the bridge now! There's just three, maybe even two of us left and last time I counted, very few Preds left, too! The fact is that Rampage is a threat to all of us an' if we can help each other out in any way, we're doing ourselves a favour. You included. So you're either with us or against us, you choose how many enemies ya wanna have at this stage in the game!"

Rattrap could almost hear Waspinator bristling on the other end. Eventually, the wasp responded: "Wazzpinator get back to you if there anything to report." He cut the connection promptly, leaving Rattrap to listen to static. With a heavy sigh, he sank back into his chair and tapped a finger rapidly on the armrest.

"Well handled."

Rattrap ceased his nervous finger-tapping and spun the chair around to face Optimus. "We'll see. Are you...are you with me, Optimus?" he asked uncertainly.

Optimus nodded slowly and quietly got to his feet. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Rattrap nodded as well, slowly and while maintaining his studious stare on him. "Dat's very good ta hear."

The two continued to look at each other, an unspoken understanding between them. They waited in silence.

* * *

It was quiet, save the occasional rasp from the Transformer hovering over him. Rampage watched as Tarantulas prepped some unpleasant-looking instruments. He was sitting on the edge of a table in the far right corner of the control room, one which the spider had set up to construct and repair things, as everything else around here was seemingly larger than life. Rampage considered himself a large Transformer, but he felt dwarfed in the cavernous rooms of this Decepticon warship. Currently, he was scrutinizing Tarantulas's every move as he prepared to operate.

"You do realize...that without my power converter, I am inclined to SHAKE and FLINCH, which could have some very bad effects on you during such a _delicate _procedure," the Transmetal arachnid sneered.

"Then you'd better _not_ shake or flinch," Rampage replied evenly.

The Predacon scientist picked up a small thin metal cylinder. He opened a panel on its side and took a battery from a little box on the table and placed it within. He tapped it, and a tiny electric charge flamed out from it. "You know you can't fly this ship alone. You'll need me for at least a few decacycles to operate it when we leave this planet. I'll need my power converter to be fully conscious of what I'm doing during that important time."

"Don't preach to me what needs to be done. You might be holding my spark now, but I'm still the one pulling the strings. You'll do as I instruct, when I instruct it."

Tarantulas turned his head slowly to give the crabbot a baleful look. "Get on with it," Rampage snorted.

"I'm ready," Tarantulas said darkly. He picked up the spark box from a little side table. Rampage regarded him with a steely expression. Something in his eyes said to Tarantulas that if he so much as _tried _to do anything funny, he'd suffer a fate worse than death. It was the only thing restraining him from clamping down on the spark box right then and there. His anger towards the crab was immense, and he knew Rampage knew that.

"Lie down."

Rampage slowly eased himself onto his back and turned his head to see the spider moving in, holding up half his life force in his claw.

Tarantulas waited as the crabbot opened up his chest, listening detachedly to the sound the gears made as the plates folded back. He had seen them do this once before already, when Rampage had healed him. Tarantulas had initially been surprised by this ability, because he'd never considered it before, but he quickly got over the small shock when he realized how simple it was. Rampage was attuned with pain, so to redirect the healing energy of his spark shouldn't be difficult. The sensation of being repaired this way, however, was quite something unique. He'd felt an almost cold prickling in his areas of damage which changed to a kind of numb burning and then the pain began to fade. The whole process was remarkably quick, reminding him of just how powerful the Protoform was. It was why he felt ill doing this now, granting him back his full power and signing the death warrants of who knew how many Transformers if they ever got back to Cybertron. He was probably signing his own, but then, he didn't really have a choice. Currently, he could feel the deterioration taking place deep inside him as his own energon supplies began to shock and damage his internals. He also felt an unnerving hollowness, as a rather large piece of him was missing. They were all grim reminders of how he had to get this operation done quickly.

"Remember, I want to stay fully conscious throughout," Rampage growled, snapping Tarantulas from his daze. The chest and spark within was now exposed.

"I remember," he grumbled lowly and placed the spark box on Rampage's abdomen. He turned and picked up the nastiest of his tools. Rampage's optics burned as he watched the small, sharp little energon blade being lowered into his chest...

* * *

Depth Charge walked backwards and away from the patched up hole he was planning on reopening. He had to stay a safe distance away from the explosion that was about to happen.

His comm. buzzed loudly and Inferno's voice greeted his audios.

"Inferno to Depth Charge. I am directly above your position now."

"Yeah... Good. I'm about to break into the Nemesis. Be on your highest guard. I don't know what's going to happen next."

"Understood. Keep me informed when you can."

"Sure," Depth Charge said, cutting the connection. He was unaware that another comm. call was trying to get through when he did so.

"I don't need you blathering nonsense when I'm trying to sneak up on someone," Depth Charge murmured as he switched the comm. off entirely. He aimed his weapon and narrowed his optics. "Knock knock."

"Stop arching! I'm going to sever something irreparable if you keep jerking like that," Tarantulas scolded as Rampage settled back down again, fists clenched. He was breathing rapidly, twitching occasionally from the spectacular pain he was experiencing. "How...long?" he managed gruffly.

"Well, I've cut the important areas open to allow the entrance of your core, but because of your spark's tendency to repair itself, I keep having to make amendments. Timing is crucial, so I need you to keep still and quiet!"

Rampage did not retort with anything, much to Tarantulas's relief. The Predacon scientist was in considerable pain himself and wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible. He squinted and pushed the tiny energon blade in deeper, mentally grumbling at how roughly Megatron had cut out the core. It was truly amazing the crabbot had survived the experience. Tarantulas assumed he must have passed out from the pain, because to be conscious during such an ordeal would be truly horrific. Putting the core spark back in was a hugely painful operation in itself, as some cutting was required. The worst part for Rampage was still to come, however.

Rampage did not want to think about what was happening to him right now, only what would happen next. He tried not to focus on the pain, but on the imminent liberation. However, the pain kept yanking him out from such daydreams, bringing him sharply back to reality. It was too much to ignore. He strained to lift his head to see exactly what Tarantulas was doing, but the effort fell short. He was too weak.

"Stop fidgeting! I'm about to---"

The spider stopped short when there was a muffled boom. Both bots went utterly still, listening intently. Sure enough, another, distant boom came from below. Then, the shrill cry of sirens sounded and the voice of the computer warned them of a hull breach.

"Confound it! Not again!" Tarantulas screeched. Rampage struggled upwards, despite the agony, and managed to prop his upper half up on his elbows.

"Fins," he muttered, a dark expression coming onto his face.

"Someone's broken into the ship! And thanks to you, that platform isn't able to close properly. He could come right into here and---"

"Close it!"

"What? The platform? I can't, I've tried. You've damaged the ge---"

"No! My spark. Close it! You can't finish this operation at the moment, so _close my spark!_"

"What! But I---"

"CLOSE IT!" Rampage snarled viciously, grabbing the spider's neck with one hand and drawing his face just inches from his sparkling eyes. Tarantulas stared in horror at him and Rampage pushed him back and let go. "Do it," he said firmly, and his voice was so cold and hard that Tarantulas dared not make even a peep thereafter. He quickly inserted the blade, sending Rampage sprawling back onto the table with a yell of pain. He rapidly started rearranging the spark so that it was able to function properly as a whole again. He was almost done when there was a shout from behind.

"X!"

Rampage lifted his head to see and raised his left arm that had been dangling over the edge of the table. In his hand was his blaster. He fired off a shot at the raybot, who'd just surfaced through the gap between the partially lowered platform and the floor. Depth Charge was thrown back and hit the side of the platform-entrance. He nearly slid back down and off the platform, but managed to spread his fins in time to stop himself from falling through the gap.

"Is it done!" Rampage asked frantically. Tarantulas nodded and he hefted himself up, still throbbing and aching. As he did so, the core spark that had been resting on his stomach, still in its cage, slid off him and landed on the table between his legs. No sooner had he gripped it when a shot ploughed into his still-open chest. Rampage was blown off the table and into the wall a few meters back. He landed on his rear with a thud, the inside of his chest burning like nothing he'd ever felt before. Depth Charge's shot had been a bit off center and had only clipped the top of his exposed spark, but even so, the raw energy hitting his most sensitive part was enough to send powerful shockwaves through his entire body.

Depth Charge leapt off the platform and landed on the floor with a menacing thud. He stood upright and aimed his gun at the crippled bot across the room. He was distracted by movement to his left and he turned quickly to see Tarantulas running across the room. The raybot pelted him with a blast that threw him off his feet. The spider skidded across the floor, coming to rest by the control panel, seemingly in stasis lock. The hit shouldn't have knocked him out, but Depth Charge didn't stop to wonder about it as he had more important things to deal with. He turned to face the crabbot and found that he was still doubled over in pain in the corner, although his chest was now closed and his core spark nowhere to be seen.

"You disgust me. You sadistic, repulsive lump of slag. Stand up!"

Rampage's head was bowed as he cringed from the pain, but at Depth Charge's order he lifted his face and glared venomously at the mantabot. "Why not kick me while I'm down? It wouldn't be the first time."

"Because I want to look you in the eyes when I finish you. I want to be in your face, in your head. I want to see you suffer like you made THEM SUFFER!"

Rampage continued to stare at him maliciously, but slowly a smile appeared in his eyes and a deep, throaty laugh came from him. Soon, he was bellowing it. Depth Charge took a threatening step forward, pointing his gun at his head with a wild look. "Shut up! Shut up and stand and FACE ME!"

Rampage stopped laughing, but a knowing smirk remained on his face. "You've come a long way, my old friend. Wanting to torture me, when before you were content with merely destroying me if given the chance. Now you'd delay my death in order to get some personal pleasure from the acts you'd commit on me beforehand. I understand this desire. There's nothing so unsatisfying as a quick kill, now is there?"

Depth Charge's optics widened in something between disbelief and revulsion and he opened fire. The energy missile struck Rampage directly in the chest and the backlash caused his head hit the wall. He grunted loudly and then shook his head, eyes burning brightly with an insane delight. His body visibly tensed and then he leapt forward, throwing all his weight into his feet as he landed, making the ground tremble. Depth Charge needed no further cue to know that this fight had begun, and so he let loose a volley of shots.

As the two engaged in a brutal duel, Tarantulas began to slowly pick himself off the ground. He hadn't been completely knocked out, although he'd come close due to his current state. He was weak and feeble without his power converter and, had Depth Charge fired another few shots into him, he probably wouldn't have survived. It was still highly likely that he wasn't going to survive. The ship was filling up with water and that spelt more than one doom for him. He'd drown, or Rampage would destroy him after he'd merged his spark as he'd be of no further use to him, or Depth Charge would finish him off, or Rampage and Depth Charge would destroy each other and take him out along with them. The odds were certainly not in his favour, which was why he decided it was time for desperate measures.

He finally made it to his feet and leaned against the console, resting his shocked systems for a few moments. Gun shots and the sound of metal clashing filled his audios, but he paid no attention to them. His eyes were fixed on the energy bars that had been building all this time. They were at full power and the ship was ready as it'd ever be for take-off. It was now or never.

His gaze went from the energy bars to the ignition switch, a few meters away. It was where he'd been heading when Depth Charge had shot him. As inconspicuously as was possible, he hobbled towards it, using the console panel along the wall for support. So far, no one had tried to stop him, although he dared not look behind. He wasn't sure how this fight was playing out, or how long it would last, but he knew neither fighter would be keen on him meddling with things behind their backs. Finally, he reached the switch. Dizzy from energon corruption and experiencing increasingly severe shockwaves, Tarantulas slowly and clumsily tapped a few buttons and hit the ignition switch. The buttons were a code to prevent anyone from stopping the take-off sequence. With the last of his energy, he typed in a few co-ordinates and put the ship on auto-pilot. The Nemesis jolted violently, sending him crashing to the floor. He passed out on impact.

* * *

"Fuzor-femme had better answer Waspinator or there be Pit to pay!"

Waspinator fiddled with a few settings in an attempt to open a comm. channel to the rogue femme. The Darkside computer had never made contact with her before and so her frequency was not programmed in, but it did have a recorded message between her and Rampage from some time ago that he could use to figure it out.

He played the message and prepared to lock onto the correct frequency.

"Myst to Rampage."

"Myst? What's wrong?"

"Meet me at the energon mine. I need you for repairs."

"I'm on my way."

The message ended and Waspinator sighed in relief. It had been brief, but it was still long enough for him to get what he needed. His faith in Megatron's sharp awareness of what was going on with his crew had been well-founded. The tyrant had always kept tabs on them; Waspinator had caught him a few times monitoring his Predacon troops using live audio or visual feed.

He tried the frequency: "Waspinator to Fuzor-femme. Do you read?"

There was a pause of a few seconds, and then: "Waspinator? How...what are you---?"

"What izz situation? Where fuzor-femme headed?" he asked curtly.

"I'm... Listen, now's not a good time---"

"Tell Waspinator! Waspinator sick of being kept in the dark! Want to know what's happening, NEEDS to know what's happening!" he shouted angrily.

Another pause. "All right. I'm heading towards that area of disturbance. I think Rampage might have caused it. I want to investigate."

"Why fuzor-femme suspect thizz?"

He heard a gasp and the sound of air rapidly rushing past. "What's wrong!" he cried.

"Waspinator, I have to go." The connection was cut immediately after.

Waspinator sat in his chair, staring blankly ahead, jaw hanging open. He shook his head after a few moments and opened a connection to the Ark.

* * *

Myst beat her wings in a forward motion, rearing her body up in an effort to brake in midair. She had to stop abruptly as barely fifty meters ahead was a bot she'd never seen before. He was hovering exactly over the spot she'd been heading for. Tall, red and menacing-looking, he'd turned to see her coming towards him and had pointed a very large gun.

"Halt, traitorous fuzor! If you move any closer I will burn you to cinders!" he shouted.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she called above the sound of her rapidly flapping wings.

"I'll be the one asking questions!" he shot back quickly. "What are **_you _**doing here?"

Myst glared at the large, red insect-bot. She was in beast mode and therefore unarmed, except for the guns in her wings. She didn't like to remain a hovering target and wanted to get into robot mode as soon as possible, especially now that she had an enemy to contend with. However, she knew if she transformed suddenly, he'd probably react by opening fire.

"The Predacon base's sensors detected an energy disturbance out here. I came to investigate."

"The colony? What were you doing in there?" he questioned with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"What WEREN'T you doing in there, Predacon?" Myst retorted, now confident she was talking to a soldier of Megatron's.

"You are trying my patience and I won't tolerate it! Leave this area now or I will shoot!"

Myst hesitated a few moments, then risked transforming. She fell several feet while doing so, so the Predacon's first shot went over her head. She immediately drew Depth Charge's gun, which she'd been keeping with her since last night.

"I don't want to fight you," she said honestly. She wasn't used to fighting in the air and this Predacon looked like he was built for combat.

"By ignoring my demands and conspiring with that murdering scum, you have made yourself an enemy of mine. You will pay for your treachery and your insolence!"

Myst narrowly dodged a stream of fire. She squeezed off a shot but wasn't even able to see if it hit its mark, as another volley of laser blasts soared towards her. She dove away from them, but one clipped her shoulder and sent her tumbling backwards. She'd just managed to regain flight when she had to dodge another volley.

"You stand no chance against me, fuzor!" he cried.

Myst spread her wings and fired several shots from her in-built guns. They hit their target.

Inferno was knocked back several feet, but unlike Myst, his flying mechanism was behind him and so he was able to regain his balance in the air fairly quickly. When he had righted himself, Myst noted with a degree of dread that he looked more than a little peeved. She swooped to avoid getting a face full of fire.

* * *

Depth Charge's shot went awry when the ground shook and he nearly lost his footing. Rampage too had nearly fallen and was leaning against the overturned table, looking perplexed and agitated.

"What the slagging!" Depth Charge cried at the sound of engines powering up.

Rampage figured out what had happened before Depth Charge and decided he'd probably be unable to undo whatever Tarantulas had set in motion. Instead, he took advantage of the ray's confusion and shot his weapon from his hand. Depth Charge snarled in pain and looked at him, shocked.

"A little trick I learned from you, old friend!" Rampage growled, then threw himself at him.

The next thing Depth Charge felt was Rampage's huge body ploughing into him and tackling him to the ground. He barely caught a glance at the red, metal fist that smashed into his face. Charged with pain, he jerked his knees upwards, knowing that the spikes attached would gouge into the attacking crabbot. He heard a loud grunt and the pressure on him eased off. Shaking his head rapidly to dispel his dizziness, his vision retuned and he saw Rampage staggering back, both hands clutching over two large holes in his abdomen. Depth Charge started getting to his feet, but was thrown onto his side as the ship jolted. Rampage stumbled forward and looked to the monitors across the room.

"Blasted spider," Depth Charge heard him mutter. Rampage turned to him with a ferocious look in his eyes. He started towards him, removing his hands from his now partially healed wounds.

"You've ruined a lot for me today, Fins," Rampage murmured, the vicious gleam in his eyes sending cold chills through him. It was not fear, but the realization of what the victims of Omicron must have witnessed in Rampage as he came for them. Depth Charge had faced him numerous times, but there'd always been a hint of amusement in his eyes, a gleam of familiarity and sometimes irritation. But there'd never been a burning, mad bloodlust in them. He'd seen Rampage kill, but only from a distance and for the most part of their relationship, he'd witnessed the aftermath of his kills. He'd never 'been on the receiving end and survived', because Rampage had never really tried hard to kill him. Depth Charge felt both frustrated and confused by this, although deep down inside he felt it was because Rampage enjoyed keeping him alive, watching him writhe in his grief and fury. As long as Rampage held onto this sick form of entertainment, Depth Charge figured he had a chance of defeating him, for good. Rampage had slipped up once before, after all.

But now...now there was hatred in his eyes on a much deeper level than he'd ever seen before. Rampage looked well and truly pissed. Everything from the way he looked at him to his body language told him that playtime was over, that this was serious now.

Scrambling quickly to his feet, Depth Charge prepared a power charge in his chest. It wouldn't stop the crabbot, but it would slow his advance.

"This ship is about to take off and go who knows where," Depth Charge said, voice tense.

"I don't care," Rampage growled and grabbed his blaster from his side. Depth Charge reacted by firing, but Rampage had obviously anticipated this move as he dropped and rolled to the left, ending up kneeling on one knee with his gun pointed at him. He didn't hesitate to let loose a missile.

Depth Charge folded his fin over himself for protection, and cringed as the missile exploded on him, stripping away all his outer-shielding and ratting his superstructure painfully. Another missile pummelled him and he nearly toppled over. Then he heard a roar and suddenly he was knocked to the floor again. Rampage didn't stay on top of him this time, instead he sprang back and shattered his knee-spikes with two well-aimed shots. Depth Charge screamed in pain and rolled his head back, optics shut. He forced them open and looked forward again. He did his best to ignore the injuries and dragged himself hastily backwards with his arms, staring morbidly at the sparking holes in his legs. He glanced up to see Rampage holstering his weapon, apparently readying himself for another frontal assault. His large form was suddenly silhouetted as the ship broke the surface of the water and bright sunlight poured in from the band of windows. Emerald optics glowed brightly against a shadowed face and Rampage drew to his full height, staring with wide, rabid eyes at his enemy.

Depth Charge narrowed his optics in a challenging glare and fired his chest power-blast. Rampage was forced back a few steps and Depth Charge took the opportunity to get to his feet. The pain was immense and he feared his legs would give way beneath him, but somehow he managed to keep his balance. He stood, arms angled at his side, a steely look of determination on his face. Fuelled by a fear of failure and a raging inferno of hatred, grief and anger inside him, Depth Charge braced himself to fight his enemy one more time.

* * *

Myst bit back a cry of pain as flames burnt her shoulder, charring half of her mounted beast mode head. Inferno socked a punch into her jaw and she responded by swiping wildly out, clawing him across the face. Trails of mech fluid appeared from the scratch marks and started trickling down, but Inferno was unperturbed. He backed away and fired another shot at her and she barely managed to raise herself up in time. The laser bullet went under her legs and while her wings were open, Myst fired her guns. The shots caused several dents in the antbot's armour.

Myst was sure her wings were about to fall off. She was beating them furiously and relentlessly to keep herself airborne, but they could only do so much, especially now that they'd taken two bad hits. Her left wing mechanism was groaning ominously and she kept tilting to the side. Inferno looked far less worse for wear. While he'd suffered a few smacks and dents, she'd been burnt in several places and taken some heavy blasts. This fight was almost over, and Myst knew she was losing it.

"Give up now, fuzor, and I will spare you a painful death," the bot Myst had learnt was Inferno spat. She hovered there, regarding him analytically while absently listening to her internal computer's warnings and damage reports. As she remained there, deciding on what to do next, she noticed a huge, growing shadow appearing in the water behind Inferno. A frown creased her face. Inferno also frowned, but in confusion. The frown faded from his face and he slowly turned around. In the next instant, the Nemesis' tower burst upwards from the water. The rest of it emerged at a slower rate, giving Inferno enough time to fly out of the way, although he narrowly escaped being struck from below. Myst twisted in the air and flew away from the massive ship. She turned herself around when she felt she was far enough away, and beheld the enormous monster surfacing from the blue.

Inferno was to her far left and shouting something. She looked at him in confusion as he yelled. "Inferno to Depth Charge! Report what's happening! I repeat, report what's happening!"

"So you're in cahoots with him, huh?" she muttered and drew the ray in question's stolen gun. She changed the setting to rapid fire and aimed the weapon at the frantic antbot.

Inferno's desperate attempt to get in contact with his comrade was cut short when a series of bullets ripped into his propellers. The gunfire damaged them enough to cause them to malfunction and suddenly he was falling. He flailed and screamed in anger and frustration until he met the water and went under, shorting all over from having his live wires exposed to it.

Myst watched him crash into the water and, satisfied that he was no longer a threat for the time being, turned her sight to the massive ship, now completely emerged. It was then that she recognised it. "Oh slagging heck..."

Her mind reeled at the realisation. _This _was the energy disturbance the sensors had picked up on. The Nemesis would, of course, have a signature--which explained all except one thing. Who was piloting the ship? Rampage? Was that what he was really after? Was he leaving? Is that what he meant by 'the final outcome'?

"Rampage..." she whimpered, staring dolefully at the rising black warship now blocking the sunlight. It continued to ascend and then stopped, turned to the west and glided forward. Myst watched as it headed straight for land at cruise-speed. Cruise-speed was still fast, and so she wasted no time in transforming to her more streamlined beast mode and followed it. She didn't know where it was going, but the fact that it was no longer making its way up inspired a spark of hope, although for what she wasn't sure.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**True Colours**

**Part Four**

**By:** Sapphire (aka Malachite157)

_**Writer's Note: **This is the final chapter in the "Losing Face" series. I dedicate it to all my readers, especially to those who have been so incredibly supportive over the past year with their feedback and enthusiasm. Without that, I don't think I could have finished this. _

* * *

Waspinator's report had been brief and to the point. He hadn't kept the channel open for much discussion afterwards. That suited Rattrap fine, for the moment. All he needed to know was if Myst was heading there for sure and what she discovered when she got there. Waspinator had said she wasn't being terribly co-operative, but if he learnt anything from her, he'd let them know. There was one condition, though: the Maximals had to promise to shelter him if and when he needed it, and they were never to harm him or come near him. This they had agreed to. Waspinator seemed content with that, reminding them curtly that it was the Maximal way to stick to promises, and had then cut the connection.

That had been fifteen cycles ago and the pair were still waiting in quiet anxiety for a report. Rattrap was getting increasingly fidgety. He was itching to know what was happening out there. He had a nagging feeling something was not right, but he knew he couldn't hold fort if Rampage attacked and Optimus was out. There was no other choice but to remain here and hope for the best, something Rattrap, as a pessimist, found difficult to do.

He was on the verge of shouting something obscene when the computers bleeped urgently. He and Optimus exchanged a shared look of anticipation and curiosity and Rattrap turned to the monitors. His jaw dropped.

"What da heck..."

He heard Optimus coming up behind him and the two of them frowned at what the computer was telling them. "No way that energy output is caused by a single bot. There's just no slaggin' way!"

"No... That looks like the energy signature of a ship," Optimus muttered thoughtfully. Rattrap shot him a startled glance. "Ya think?"

Optimus leaned over his shoulder and tapped a few buttons. "Yes. Very much like one, only it has to be a lot bigger than the Axalon."

"What could it possibly be? There ain't any other space ships I know of lurking in da oceans of dis planet!"

"Rattrap, we're in the Ark. What shot down the Ark?"

Rattrap froze and was silent for several seconds. "Ohhhh SLAG." He turned to face his fellow Maximal. "Ya don't really...I mean..."

"It's moving," Optimus noted, nodding at the screens. Rattrap turned back to them and saw that it was indeed heading away from its point of origin. It was not, however, going skyward. "It's going straight fer land. At its current speed it'll be over land in..." he entered a few quantities into the computer. "Seven cycles."

"Well, at least it's not heading for us. I wonder who's piloting it?"

"It's gotta be Tarantulas! And dat maniac has tried to blow dis place up before. We're in serious trouble if he's planning on tryin' again!"

"Which is exactly it. It makes no sense for him to be heading in that direction, it's way off-course from the Ark, and the Darkside come to think of it. The ship's going straight for the nearest piece of headland."

"I don't know what's going through that spider processor of his, but if it really is the Nemesis and it really is being piloted by him, we gotta start making plans."

"We could try and get the Ark operational," Optimus suggested calmly, although there was an edge of panic in his tone.

"Without Rhi--uhhh...I mean how? Where do we start?" Rattrap stammered, at a loss of what to do or say. He needed Rhinox to guide him. He'd made repairs on ships many times in the past, but this was old tech and the damage was extensive. He didn't even know where to begin and it was likely going to take decacycles to fix, if it was even repairable at all.

"I asked Rhinox about it in the past. He drew up some blueprints of the Ark, detailing its worst areas of damage and what was needed in order to repair them. We could use that as a guideline."

Rattrap nodded, then gave Optimus a curious look. "If ya always had these plans, why didn't you try to fix the Ark earlier?"

Optimus was silent a moment, regarding him with a grim expression. "Because Rhinox said there was virtually no chance of getting her airborne ever again."

"Oh...oh, dat's just peachy," Rattrap grumbled, shaking his head and covering his face with a hand. Optimus looked away from him and back at the monitors. Rattrap began to babble on about how time was running out, that they were sitting ducks, that they had to think of something else, while Optimus continued to watch the signature move across the screens. His optics widened and he muttered. "Oh."

Rattrap's optics appeared above the hand still held over his face. "Oh? Oh what?" It was then he saw.

"Well strip my gears... When did Depth Charge's signature make an appearance?"

"A couple of seconds ago. He must be onboard the ship, which must have been in a region of energon, hence the size of the disturbance. It probably blew some up when it took off."

Rattrap and Optimus stared at the screen, watching the two signatures closing in on the headland. It was within a few miles of it when it began to descend.

"It's...it's landing!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"It'll clear the cliffs and go straight into the mountains at that rate," Optimus observed.

"Maybe that's what Fins was after all this time. Maybe he's tryin' ta stop Tarantulas. Trust that crazy idiot ta do somethin' like that alone!" Rattrap thought aloud, and crossly.

"If that's the case, which it's looking to be, he's going to need some help," Optimus said, drawing back and to his full height.

"Oh no ya don't. You're staying right here and guarding dis place. The Nemesis might not be targeting it at the moment, but that don't mean ta say Rampage isn't. I'll go."

"But Rattrap, Rampage could go after you. You'll be exposing yourself to him!" Optimus protested frantically. A look of wild terror and desperation came into his eyes and Rattrap realized he was paranoid of losing another comrade. He swivelled the chair around and stood, giving his leader an earnest and sincere look. "He won't catch me, Optimus. I promise you that. I'll be goin' so fast he won't know what passed him."

"Rattrap..." Optimus began, voice on the verge of breaking. Rattrap interrupted him before he could say anything more. "It's the only way, Optimus. I gotta help Depth Charge. He's gonna be vulnerable too when dat ship is grounded. Who knows what he's up against? We can't just sit back and keep hopin' it'll pan out. We gotta make it happen. But I NEED you ta stay here and protect dis place, or it'll all be for nuthin'. All dat we've fought for, and lost, will be for nuthin'".

Optimus was motionless, body tense, eyes fixed on his pleading friend. Finally, he murmured in agreement. Rattrap sighed and looked at the floor for a moment, shoulders slumped. He looked back up at Optimus and smiled wanly. "I'll be back before ya know it."

He transformed to vehicle mode and without a word left the control room at full speed. Optimus watched him leave on the monitors and sank down into the chair, a thousand thoughts and fears threatening to consume him. He hoped and prayed to whatever deity existed that Rattrap would make it.

* * *

Had they been paying attention, the two active bots in the Nemesis would have noticed they'd barely cleared some cliffs and were heading straight for a spot between two mountain peaks, covered in lush forest. They were, however, too busy fighting one another in what was turning out to be their most fierce battle to date.

Depth Charge slammed side-on into the wall, feeling as if he'd been hit by a train. The force with which Rampage had thrown him baffled him. He knew Rampage was strong, but he'd never tasted this kind of power before. Had the killer really been toying so lightly with him in all those past battles?

Wiping away mech fluid from the tear across his forehead, he turned around and staggered forward a little. Rampage stood, legs slightly apart, fists clenched. He looked like he was made of solid rock, his stance was so rigid and formidable.

"Ready for more, Fins?" he asked, voice hollow and rough. Depth Charge glowered at him balefully. "Screw you, X."

"So you keep saying! When are you going to live up to all your threats?" Rampage cried, almost sounding exasperated.

"Today," Depth Charge replied determinedly and started forward. He stopped short when he saw through the window behind Rampage, the mountainside rushing towards them.

Noting that Depth Charge's look of horror was in fact going past him, Rampage turned around just in time to see the rock face fill the view from the window.

* * *

Myst was wheezing in pain as she neared the shoreline. Her wings were operating to their absolute limit and she was fighting with all she had to keep her failing left wing from seizing up completely. Like a mauled bird, she came towards the beach in a wobbling descent.

"Come on, come on," she hissed through gritted teeth, beating against the air with massive effort. Her entire upper body was aching with exhaustion. She was nearly at the beach, she was almost there...

Her left wing finally gave up and froze and Myst found herself plummeting. She hit the water and then sand immediately after as she crashed into the shallows. Paralysed with pain, she did nothing for a few cycles, allowing the waves to push her up the beach like insistent hands. She lay face down on the ground, the water lapping at her hips. Gradually, she pulled her arms up from her sides and placed her palms on the sand. With all that was left of her strength, she heaved herself up and crawled forward out of the water, and then collapsed on her back. For close to ten cycles, all she did was listen to her rasping breaths and feel the aching ebbing slowly away. The sun sparkled down at her, warming and drying her battered body.

When she felt she had recovered enough to get up, she slowly raised herself off the ground and sat, staring blankly at the sea. The gentle whooshing of the waves and the sound of leaves rustling quietly behind her in the breeze cast a spell on her. For that moment, she felt she wanted to remain sitting there for the rest of her life. It was so peaceful, and she was so...so tired...

The distant sounds of explosions brought her quickly out of her daze. She looked over her shoulder and into the forest. The black ship had ploughed into the mountains shortly before she'd landed on the beach. The noises she heard now were definite signs that at least two bots had survived the crash and were now exchanging gunfire. Myst could only imagine it to be Rampage and Depth Charge, as the two were the only aquabots she knew of who could access the ship under water.

Feeling as if she had no time to waste, Myst clambered to her feet and began her sprint through the forest and to the mountains with newfound energy. A strange, deep terror and a sense of urgency propelled her past her pain and exhaustion. She _had_ to get there.

* * *

Rampage woke up with a terrible headache. He wasn't sure where he was or what had happened in the time between seeing rocks and waking, but he was sure that he had taken a heck of a beating.

He stifled a groan as he sat up, remembering that Depth Charge might still be active. He was aware that they'd crashed but he wasn't sure how badly. Dust and smoke obscured his entire view. He felt the area around him. It was still the tiled, metal floor he'd been standing on for the last megacycle...or two. He had completely lost track of time.

He sat still and waited, listening to the hisses and moans of the ship and keeping alert for any emotion. He felt none. This was a confusing sign. It either meant everyone else was dead, or very much unconscious. Either way, for the moment he was free to do what he wanted. The first thing Rampage wanted to do was investigate the reasons for the lack of emotion around him.

Testing his legs, he found that he could stand, but not without some trouble. His legs felt heavy and limp beneath him. Some rather important circuitry had probably been severed in them and his joints had taken a punishing. Still, he was able to walk with them and so he made his way towards a purple lump on the floor a few meters away. The smoke had cleared enough for him to spot it and as he came closer, he realized the lump was Tarantulas.

Kneeling beside the spider, he ran his hand down his back, feeling the various indents and holes in his shell. He placed both hands underneath him and rolled him over. Blank optics stared up at him.

"Don't tell me you're dead," he barely murmured as he gripped the bottom of Tarantulas's torso plate. In one swift motion, he pulled it up and off. To his silent horror, he found no spark glowing up at him.

Rampage stared glumly into the empty cavity of the dead bot at his knees. Eventually, he sighed and slowly climbed to his feet. He looked over his shoulder and squinted into the grey-white smoke shrouding most of the control room. He could see no sign of Depth Charge.

_"I wonder if my old playmate survived. It doesn't really matter if he did. Without Tarantulas, I won't be able to fuse my spark back together, or get off this wretched planet."_

There was more to his gloominess than that. Rampage could feel something was wrong deep inside of him. His spark was badly injured. Not only had it been recently cut open to make way for the core, but it had been shot while exposed. Tarantulas had rushed trying to restore it to a properly functioning state, and Rampage feared it would never fully mend itself. More than ever, he needed those two halves back together. He was weaker now and he wasn't confident he'd ever regain his full strength. It was in that moment that he knew for sure that he was not, in fact, immortal. His spark was not indestructible and he could be killed. Depth Charge had always believed there was a way to destroy him, he had pleaded with the High Council to find this way, but they had deemed him unworthy of the time and resources that might take.

While a part of him longed for death, he also didn't want it to come so soon. He desired life _and_ freedom. To lose his chance at it _yet again_ had infuriated him. That Guardian of Omicron had truly been more trouble than he was ever worth. He realized now that he had been foolish to want to have it both ways. He kept Depth Charge alive for company, constancy and amusement, but also because he had faith in him that, if he found a way, and he allowed him to carry through with it, he would finally kill him. Eternity had always been more terrifying than death.

But not now... Not when he was so close to achieving his long sought second chance. He felt as if he had missed something, that he was incomplete, and to die now would render everything he'd done up to this present moment pointless.

He felt a breeze coming from the right and he turned to it. It was coming through the shattered band of windows and gradually blowing the smoke away. Quietly, he walked over to it and looked down. The tower of the Nemesis now leaned towards a slope. He could see its rough, grey rocky surface only a few meters down. He could make the jump, although he'd slide all the way down afterwards. Perhaps if he did so in tank mode he'd fare better.

Rampage decided he shouldn't stand there and deliberate on how painful it was going to be to transform in his injured state and instead just leapt out, transforming in midair before he hit the slope at the angle he'd hoped he would. It had been painful, but he was soon distracted by his ride down the rough slope and into the forest. The ship had crashed at the foot of the mountain and so it didn't take him too long to reach more level ground. He braked when he entered the clearing. Small fires were burning around him; dust and smoke still clung to the air, creating a haze. He could make out the shadow of the wall of forest around him, and the partially buried left wing of the ship in front of him. It was quiet apart from the crackling of burning brush and the odd hiss from the downed spacecraft.

A stab of pain in his chest reminded him of the fact that he was damaged and his spark wasn't strong enough to heal all his injuries. He needed the aid of a CR chamber, and soon. Getting his bearings, Rampage transformed and started walking in the direction of the Darkside. He'd barely taken two strides when he felt a sharp pang of pain, and it was not his...

Tensing, he listened intently for any noises of approach. The pain intensified and then there was alarm. The alarm turned to anger, which seemed to be growing rapidly. Rampage felt his opponent coming up from behind. He slowly reached for his blaster, only to find it wasn't there. He must have lost it in the crash. Hearing a small snap from behind, Rampage was prompted into a sharp turn. Depth Charge stopped dead in his tracks, staring at him with the look of a caught thief. Rampage tilted his head to the side in mock curiosity. The wide eyes of his enemy narrowed to slits and Depth Charge lunged. Rampage was ready for him.

* * *

Rattrap was halfway to his destination when it occurred to him that Waspinator might now know something. He opened a comm. channel to the Darkside while he raced through the forest, weaving through trees and dodging potholes caused by heavy rains the night before. "Rattrap to Waspinator. Got anythin' to report?"

"Waspinator assumes ratbot has seen that energy anomaly has _moved._"

"Yeah, an' we reckon we know what it is. Waspinator, do you know what the Nemesis is?"

"Waspinator more educated than ratbot gives him credit for."

"Huh? Whatever. We think that's what the energy sig is. Da only guy I know who could get it airborne is Tarantulas. Depth Charge is with him, or at least he was when it was coming in ta land. I dunno if its wrecked or not, but if Tarantulas wins that battle, ya just know he's gonna wreak havoc with that thing."

"What ratbot driving at?"

"Have you heard anything from Myst?"

"No. Fuzor-femme not responding at all to Waspinator's messagezz."

"Great. She really ain't good for anythin'. Look, if Tarantulas gets that ship up and running again, he could blow up the Ark and wipe out our existence, not to mention yours. So if you're not getting anywhere with Myst, ya might as well come help me beat the oil outta that spider before he does the same ta us, 'cept on a MUCH bigger scale."

"Work with ratbot? Against Tarantulas? And expose self to crabbot? Hmm...let Waspinator think about thizz."

The connection cut abruptly. Rattrap swore profusely for a little while after until he resigned himself to the fact that he was pretty much alone in this. He wasn't sure what he'd find when he reached the Nemesis. He knew that Tarantulas wasn't able to match Depth Charge's strength and fighting finesse, but he was more than capable of finding other ways of ridding himself of his enemies. It was also possible he had Rampage on his side, in which case they were probably screwed. Still, he needed to try. He'd come too far and gone through too much to give up now.

* * *

While Myst and Rattrap closed in on the crash site of the Nemesis from opposite sides, and Waspinator and Optimus watched events unfold as best as they could from the scanners in their respective bases, two bots engaged in their fight to the death. Both knew this was not just another skirmish.

Depth Charge kicked Rampage in the stomach, sending him staggering back. He advanced on him and punched him in the mouth. Rampage snarled in pain and flung his fist outward. Depth Charge ducked and rammed his head into the crabbot's midsection. Rampage was driven back and pinned against a tree. He brought up his knee into Depth Charge's face and the raybot was knocked backwards. He landed with a thud, limbs sprawled. Rampage spat mech fluid and took a step forward. He raised his foot above the ray's pelvis and brought it down hard, but Depth Charge rolled in time. He sprang to his feet and lunged at him from the left but Rampage turned in time to block him. Using the side of his hand he struck Depth Charge in the throat and he pulled back, clutching at his neck. Rampage strode over to him and hit him across the face. Depth Charge spun in the air as he fell. He hit the earth with a cry. Rampage jumped on him, pinning the ray onto his stomach. He grabbed the top of his left fin and pulled with all his might. Depth Charge screamed in agony as Rampage rent the metal. Sparks flew and exposed wires twisted out like worms from the wound. Depth Charge arched up violently and Rampage had to let go of the fin to balance himself. He brought his hands together in a combined fist as Depth Charge bucked, trying to get him off his back. He brought his balled hands down onto the back of the raybot's head. Depth Charge groaned, face buried in the mud, and Rampage resumed tearing his fin apart.

"Stop your whimpering! You make me sick when you do that," he snarled, consumed by hatred. His body was throbbing all over from his various wounds and injuries, a sensation he was not used to having for such a long period of time. Some were newly inflicted, but others should have been repaired long ago. His spark was worn out and weakened and it was getting worse. It was all Depth Charge's fault. He had to finish him now or he'd soon discover his vulnerability and act upon it. The game was over now and Rampage was determined to be the one to have won it.

Depth Charge had never had the advantage of a healing spark and so was very aware of how close to his limit he was. He was unable to throw Rampage off him by sheer strength alone, so he tried something else. He fired a chest missile straight into the ground and the back-blast sent them both flying. Rampage landed in some bushes ten meters away, while Depth Charge smashed into a large tree. He slid down and landed, exhausted, on his rear. His internal computer blared warnings, but he ignored them. He still had some strength yet and while he had that, he would continue fighting. With painful effort, he got to his feet and turned to face the crabbot who had also just righted himself. Depth Charge glanced fleetingly at his torn fin and glowered at the battered Transformer across from him. Rampage was looking just as roughed up as he, which surprised him. When they'd been fighting on the ship, he'd been so swift and ruthless he'd barely gotten a few punches in. But now... Now the crabbot _looked_ like he'd been through a ferocious battle, which was something new to him. He'd always been frustrated by how Rampage would self-repair shortly after he'd been injured and he'd taunt him by displaying this ability openly. But there were no signs of wounds closing up, no dents and scratches fading away. It was like his spark had lost its special power.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come get me," Rampage hollered. Despite his damage, his optics still glowed vibrantly and attentively Although there was something different in them this time. There was a sort of wildness, a hint of desperation...

"You can't stop now. You have that mission of vengeance to complete, remember? Because you know, everything will be all right once you've done that. All the pain and the grief will just...fade away. Won't it?" he lilted sarcastically.

Depth Charge felt a hot flare of anger rise up inside him. He was taunting him again! Primus, he couldn't take any more of it!

Rampage took a step forward and out of the bushes. "I don't suppose you've stopped to think that far ahead. What life will be like once I am gone."

"I'm sure I'll manage without you," Depth Charge sneered derisively.

Rampage cocked his head to the side with a smug smile in his eyes. "Really? Because somehow, I'm not convinced that you can. I am, after all, all that's been driving you these past five stellar cycles. There's nothing else to you anymore, Depth Charge. You're devoid of dreams and ambitions apart from the single goal of my destruction. Nothing else moves you, or interests you. I mean, come on, you almost killed someone last night because she was in your way. That is not very guardian-like behaviour. But then, you stopped being a force of protection long ago."

"Shut up! All I've ever done has been to protect all those you intend to harm!" Depth Charge shouted vehemently.

"And what a fine job you've done of it! You only had a handful of Maximals to look after on this planet and where are they now?"

Depth Charge started to say something, but it turned into a shrill cry of fury and anguish. He brought up his hands around his audios and continued screaming while Rampage stood motionless, silently absorbing the sheer volume of pain and sorrow he was emitting. Finally, Depth Charge's scream tapered off and he stood with his arms hanging limply at his side, chest heaving, eyes wide and full of grief as he stared at his adversary. For the first time, they pleaded with Rampage, they asked _why_. Why had he done it, why did he continue to do it and torture him. Why didn't he _just die_?

Rampage regarded him thoughtfully. The ex-guardian was merely standing there, seemingly waiting for a reply. After what felt like an eternity, he gave him one. He shrugged.

Depth Charge shook his head slowly, an expression of pure hatred and revulsion reappearing on his face. He reached for his subspace pocket and drew a long, sharp blade of energon. Rampage's gaze fell on it.

"I won't suffer this...anymore...X," Depth Charge breathed raggedly. Rampage looked back at him. He stared at him searchingly.

Holding the blade like a sword, Depth Charge strode towards him. Rampage remained in the same spot, watching his advance calmly. Depth Charge swung the blade out.

* * *

Myst flinched as a spiky branch smacked into her face. She pushed it aside as she continued running. She leapt over fallen trees and rocks, ducked under large branches and swerved to miss ditches and holes. Her wings hung limply behind her, ripped to shreds and trailing black feathers. She didn't care that they were broken, she didn't care that her energy levels were low, she didn't care that she had wounds that needed tending to. All she cared about was getting to Rampage, if he was indeed there.

She wasn't able to keep up her speed and caution simultaneously for long before a root snagged her foot and she fell. It was in that brief moment of calm as she pushed herself up off the ground that she sensed it. Emotion... Strong emotion. Myst listened carefully. The gunshots had ceased. She sat up, tuning into the feeling. It was definitely anger, unrestrained and powerful anger. There was also immense pain, of the emotional kind. Myst slowly got to her feet and walked uncertainly forward. Suddenly, a distant scream rose up and echoed through the hills. Myst gasped at the sheer agony in it. "Oh Primus..." she murmured, and took off again.

Rattrap too heard the scream. He recognised it as Depth Charge's and that inspired great alarm in him. It was obvious the mantabot was in trouble of some kind and Rattrap immediately feared the worst.

"You're an idiot, 'Charge. A great, stinkin' buffoon," he lamented, fearing deeply for him. He increased his speed.

* * *

Rampage jumped back from Depth Charge's swipe at him. He ducked as the blade went for his head. He sprang back again and onto a rock. Kicking outwards, his foot connected with Depth Charge's chin and knocked him back, but not off his feet. Shaking his head rapidly to clear away the red speckles clouding his vision, Depth Charge charged forward again and this time managed to slash Rampage across his arm. Rampage snarled and clutched at the wound, ducking again to avoid another sweeping blow. Depth Charge fired a laser-disc but it was weak and barely grazed the crabbot, who raised his eye ridges in surprise. "Running out of steam?"

"Not yet," Depth Charge growled and slashed forward again. Rampage leapt away and rolled. Depth Charge was assaulting him as soon as he was on his feet again. The blade was extremely sharp and cut right through Rampage's metal, as he discovered when he sliced off a finger.

The raybot laughed wickedly as Rampage observed the bare space of the missing appendage. He glared at him.

"I'd say you were the one running out of steam. You don't look so good," Depth Charge jeered.

Rampage had no retort to that so instead he treated the raybot to a roundhouse kick. Depth Charge landed hard on his back, his torn fin folding awkwardly behind him. Rampage rushed to grab the blade that he was still loosely clutching, but he underestimated Depth Charge's speed and before he could reach it, the raybot had closed his hand firmly around it and brought it up. He succeeded in gouging Rampage in the chest. Rampage drew back quickly, denying Depth Charge the opportunity to thrust it in further, but he had suffered a terrible wound all the same. Grunting in shock and pain, he looked down to see the faint blue glowing of his spark coming from the hole.

Depth Charge tried to get up, but found he was sapped of almost all his strength. His systems were beginning to shut down and his power levels were at a dangerous low. Rampage turned his attention from his wound to the manta bot on the ground. He started towards him but stumbled and fell to his knees. Depth Charge stared at him in astonishment. Rampage's optics were squeezed shut and his hands were curled up stiffly. He was trembling all over. With a sharp intake of breath, he opened his eyes and started to get up. He was obviously also battling against his dropping energy levels. Motivated by this display of weakness, Depth Charge reared upwards and started clambering over to him. Rampage suddenly lashed out and struck him on the side of the head, throwing him to the ground. Depth Charge rolled from his side onto his back with a groan.

Rampage was panting furiously now. He gradually climbed to his feet and shakily hobbled over to the prone raybot. He stepped on the blade just as Depth Charge tried to raise it to strike him. His dull optics lit brightly and he stared up at the contorted face of his enemy. Mech fluid slid across one of his burning emerald optics like a tear. Dropping down to a crouched position, with his right foot still firmly in place over the blade, Rampage reached for Depth Charge's free hand. He responded by throwing it as a fist, but Rampage deftly caught it by the wrist. He crushed it in his grip and Depth Charge gasped in pain.

"Not today, Fins," Rampage whispered, replying to his earlier statement when they'd started their fight on the ship.

"Not today, not ever." He raised his fist, aiming it for the raybot's face. By the time the soft beep coming from Depth Charge's internal computer registered with Rampage, his fist was already plummeting towards him and Depth Charge had just brought up his right hand, snapping the pinned blade in half. The ray had diverted all of what was left of his energy to his right arm and with it, he had pulled upwards and broken the blade from under Rampage's foot. He thrust the ragged edge of it directly into the wound over the crabbot's spark, just as Rampage's fist smashed into his face.

Depth Charge had already blacked out when the explosion occurred, blowing his body to pieces.

* * *

Myst stumbled to a halt when she heard a loud, deep boom. The ground shook and a few dozen birds erupted with noisy calls of alarm from the trees. Along with the boom had been a scream of such agony that Myst's breath caught in her throat. She knew that scream.

With speed that amazed even herself, she shot forward and through the trees, racing towards the source of the explosion. It didn't take her long to get there.

Myst rounded the rear-end of the ship to see the clearing in which Rampage and Depth Charge had fought, not far from the buried left wing. The area was a mess of charred foliage, scorch marks, splatters of oil and mech fluid and broken trees. She followed the trail of destruction and soon came upon pieces of metal. Body parts littered the area around a black ditch in which she found the torso, head and what was left of the pelvis of Depth Charge. "Oh Primus," she breathed in horror. She raised her eyes from his mangled corpse and spotted another red and grey body lying several meters away. Her body went cold with dread as she walked over to it with tentative steps. As she approached, she saw that it was who she feared it to be.

"Rampage," she cried and rushed over to him. She fell to her knees beside him. His entire front was ripped open and she could see all his sparking wires and circuits and his fading spark. His left arm had been blown off completely and his face was crumpled and covered in oil and mech fluid, like the rest of him. His optics were dull.

She placed her hands on what was left of his right shoulder. "Rampage," she said gently, voice strangled with emotion. He remained unresponsive.

"Rampage, answer me, slaggit," she demanded, sobs rising in her throat. She was distantly aware that she was trembling with shock.

He made a tiny noise and his optics flickered. Finally, they stayed lit long enough for him to see her. A small frown creased his brow. "Myst."

She smiled down at him weakly. "You've really hurt yourself this time," she whispered. He blinked, still frowning.

"Rampage..." she said softly. "Why don't you heal yourself? Why don't you use your spark to...to fix this."

He closed his eyes and sighed calmly, like one drifting off to sleep. "Can't. It's my spark...that needs the healing. It's beyond repair now."

She shook her head, frowning deeply. "No, no, that can't be true. You're immortal! You can't...you can't die. Rampage, you _can't die_."

He reopened his eyes and tilted his head to look at her. "It doesn't matter to you, Myst. Don't fret about it."

Myst stared at him silently and Rampage could, despite his fading spark, feel her sadness hitting him with force. He looked into her eyes with wonder.

"It does matter to me," she said so softly he almost didn't hear her. "I...I need you. I..." Her breathing grew rapid with her rising desperation. She was trying to say something, but the words weren't coming. Rampage smiled lazily up at her. He tried to lift his hand but failed. Myst spotted it and gripped it tightly, bringing it up to her cheek. She looked down at him with half-lidded, doleful eyes.

"You don't need me anymore. You got what you really needed from me. I never had anymore to offer," he told her gently. Myst's face contorted in sadness. "N-no..." she stammered, voice trembling.

"And, I guess, I got something from you. You know, it actually felt like I had a friend for a while. I never thought I'd experience that."

"You did, you did have a friend," she whispered, nodding fervently.

He snorted softly in amusement. "Strange femme," he said, rolling his head back into its original position. He drew a deep breath and said, "I never did quite figure you out." Then he released a long sigh and his body sagged, and the dull, grey orb of his spark quietly sputtered out.

"I love...you..." Myst trailed. She stared at the empty cavity in his chest for an undeterminable amount of time before she bowed her head. Her body shuddered once and she bit her lip, containing the sobs swelling in her throat.

She was vaguely aware of the sound of a vehicle coming up behind her and the whir of a transformation. From the corner of her eye she saw Rattrap running to the ditch and skidding on his knees beside the dead body of his comrade. He muttered something incoherent and buried his face in his hand. After a few seconds, he looked up and across at her. He stared at the femme hunched over the lifeless body of the Omicron murderer and tried in vain to understand why she looked so utterly devastated.

* * *

It was dusk by the time Rattrap returned to the Ark. He told Optimus that his suspicions were right, that the Nemesis had been revived and had crashed into the mountains. He said that he'd checked the ship for Tarantulas and had found his lifeless body in the control room. The Nemesis didn't look as if she'd fly again, at least not in this time period. He found it most difficult to report Depth Charge's death. Somehow, losing the ray had impacted on him the most. He cared about his friends, about Cheetor and Rhinox, but to lose the last ally he and Optimus had left packed a real punch. Still, his death had not been in vain. It was obvious to Rattrap that he had died destroying Rampage and in so doing, he had secured the safety of all his comrades, present and future. There was no threat to the Ark and its inhabitants anymore.

When Optimus had enquired about Myst and if she had been there when he arrived, he'd had to pause to find the rights words. Finally, he'd replied with: "She was there. An' I wouldn't be surprised if she still is."

* * *

_**Writer's Note: **I've written a few notes on my thoughts and feelings about this series, which you can read at if you're interested._


End file.
